To Find Eden
by Just Sleeping
Summary: Seven yrs pass since Creed's defeat and the Eden project's culmination. Sven vows to never abandon Eve but breaks his promise after he & Train discover a horrifying truth: If allowed to reach adulthood, Eve will destroy mankind. Post manga Eve/Sven.
1. Before Original Sin: Innocence

_**Disclaimer:** I do not own Black Cat in any way, shape, or form. (I wish I did though, cuz Sven is sexy, and Train is kick-ass...) I do not profit from this story. :)_

_**Authors note: **I am wholly unsatisfied with this chapter, but it was written in order to show how happy the trio was before their problem began, so accordingly, there will be a little fluff, but things will get angstier and more action packed in the second chapter-which will uncover many answers to the questions raised here. I promise if you just give the story a chance, it'll grow on you...hopefully I'll have time to revise this in the mean time... :(...So please enjoy, and please, please review. I may need a little encouragement to crank out those chapters!_

**Skip over the following if you've seen the anime ending...**

_As I mentioned before, the fic is based on mostly the manga, but its plot surrounds the anime ending (there isn't a spoiler for the TV series). If you aren't familiar with the manga, the differences in the story won't really affect your read. There are a few contradictions otherwise (like Train and Sven already being partners by the time they met Eve--as opposed to after). This series review by Jeffrey Harris helps explain the anime ending without giving too much away:_

_"Having finally defeated Creed Diskenth and his army, the Apostles of the Stars, Train and the other members of the Sweeper alliance take a breather and take some time to celebrate the victory. But there's still one last thing that needs to be addressed--Cronos.  
_

_Mason, the leader of Cronos, appears with the former members of Creed's group at his side. He's preparing to enact his own plan that involves using Eve as its main tool. Eve becomes dejected after Sven suggests sending her away to school, which gives Mason and his henchmen the chance to kidnap her. Eve is put under the control of Mason in a device that's called Eden, and they turn Eve into the core of a massive ship that will sweep over the world and absorb the lives of the entire population." _

....so now you should have some idea of what's going on...if you have any questions, email me....okay...enjoy!

* * *

_**Before Original Sin—Innocence**_

And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

Genesis 2:25

-

Sven sat at the dimly lit bar, distractedly running his forefinger around the edge of his glass' rim, its contents emptied. Loosely hanging tinsel and plastic holly hugged the edges of the counter, and the sparsely decorated mini Christmas tree on his right was his only companion. A few ornaments hung close together in what could have formed a crooked, mocking face.

_This is where it began, _Sven thought idly.

He glanced up at the clock on the wall cluttered with half empty bottles of alcohol. Quarter past twelve.

_Its official. Christmas Day._

He was interrupted from his thoughts by a slamming door. Footsteps came closer, and a shadowy figure appeared in the doorway. Sven's heart lifted.

_Maybe_...

"Sven, I'm going to lock up for the night. When you decide to leave, turn off the lights."

"Okay Annette," he replied halfheartedly, hope crushed. "Thanks."

She turned to leave and stopped. "Hey Sven..."

"Yeah?"

"Merry Christmas."

His reply never came, but then again, she hadn't expected one.

* * *

_One year earlier, Christmas morning:_

Eve shot up out of bed as soon as she heard the strident blaring of her alarm clock. Decked in a Santa hat, fuzzy cat slippers, and pink PJ's, she crept out of her bedroom to the little Christmas tree in the family room. She paused.

Presents!

She was always excited Christmas morning, and this year was no different. But this Christmas like any other, she passed the tree and crept down the hallway that led to Sven's bedroom. He was dead asleep, breathing softly. His eye patch rested on the nightstand, and his green hair framed his face wildly. He looked so peaceful, she almost felt bad waking him. Almost. But figuring that this was the only day the whole year that she ever did, she made the exception.

Eve grabbed Sven's hand, pulling at the sleeping figure.

"Sven get up. Its Christmas day."

When there was no response, she pulled harder. That was a mistake. The rug slipped from underneath her and she landed on Sven's body. His eyes shot open and he sat up with a loud "OOF."

"Wha-What?" he looked down to find Eve calmly gripping his chest. She had recovered from her fall quickly.

"Let's go open the presents."

He looked in the direction of the night stand and at the blinking numbers on his alarm clock.

He groaned and sunk tiredly against his headboard.

"Eve, its six o clock in the morning!"

"We can wake up Train," she urged. "It will make you feel better."

He smiled. He loved to see her so excited. He knew at Torneo's lab, she never had much of a childhood. She was nineteen now, and this still meant the world to her. Besides, no one could argue with her logic.

"Yeah, you're right. Lets go."

She helped him out of bed and pulled him to Train's room.

Train was splayed out on the bed, snoring loudly. A little snot bubble formed from his nose and popped in the air.

"One-two-" they whispered in unison. "Three!"

They landed on Train like two sacks of Christmas potatoes.

"Waaahhh!" he woke with a shout. Looking around dazedly, he spotted Sven and Eve grinning impishly at him. Pulling out a Santa hat from God-knows-where, Eve pushed it on Train's head.

"Merry Christmas."

Train threw himself back on the bed.

"It'll still be Christmas a few hours from now. I'm goin' back to sleep!"

"Oh, no you don't! If I have to get up this early, so do you," said Sven, pulling off Train's blanket.

"But its so cold," said Train hugging himself into a ball.

"Can't blame me for trying to save money on the gas bill. It's not like we're chasing criminals as often as we used to."

"We were broke as hell even when we did..." Train sulked.

The vein in Sven's forehead popped out as he closed his eyes and tried to ignore his partner's comment. "I'll give you blankie if you get out of bed _now_." Sven waved the blanket just out of arm's reach.

Train followed them to the living room, rubbing his heavy eyes. When Sven finally awarded him his blanket, he wrapped himself tightly in it. Only eyes, a nose, and a Santa hat were visible.

"Thanks Princess, it keeps my head warm," Train said, pointing to the hat from under the blanket.

"You're pathetic," said Eve with a tilt of her head.

"It's early! Leave me alone!" Train replied in a weepy voice.

Sven shook his head, amusement visible in his eyes. Train was always cranky Christmas morning. But he knew that he was happy. He also knew Train heard them enter his room each Christmas morning, but only acted surprised to give Eve the pleasure of rousing him herself.

Sven chuckled and ran a hand through his hair in attempts to make it look decent. "I'll go put on a pot of coffee."

When they finally started opening presents a little over half and hour later, the sunlight was already brimming over the horizon and spilling onto the roofs of the little town.

Eve stepped into the heap of presents and separated them into smaller piles. There were some from all their friends-Annette, Rins and Jenos, Leon, Marie, even, oddly enough, Charden and Kyoko. Eve opened her presents slowly to stretch out the holiday moment, while Train and Sven tore theirs apart greedily. When most gifts were accounted for and wrapping paper was piled up in all corners of the room, they opened the gifts they gave each other.

Train reached for his second to last present. It was from Sven.

"Bullets!" cried Train happily after demolishing his package.

"Be careful with those, they're special made."

"What for?" asked Train.

"Figuring it out is half the fun," replied Sven while lighting a cigarette between his lips.

Train and Eve stared. Sven shrugged guiltily. "I'm cutting down. Only half a pack a day."

"As opposed to your usual pack, that's not so bad!" said Train with visible sarcasm.

Eve stretched out her hand, forming an ashtray. Sven put out the cigarette miserably. They had been on guard ever since he turned thirty-eight. His smoker's cough had been getting a little worse every year, and they feared for his health as he got older-which was completely pointless since he wasn't old at all. He was still as young and sexy as ever!...At least that's what he told himself every morning in the bathroom mirror. Unbeknownst to him, his two roommates were aware of his little ritual, but thought it best not to say anything yet-not until his fortieth birthday anyway.

"So partner," sighed Sven. "What do you think?"

Train was about to respond when he got a closer look at the bullets. There were seven color coded bullets in a row encased in foam. He narrowed his eyes at his friend and placed the bullets on the floor warily.

"Hey, you're acting as if they're booby trapped or something," said Sven defensively.

"Wouldn't be the first time," said Train. "Remember last Christmas?"

"That was an accident!" Sven blurted out, pointing his finger at Train.

"Yeah, an accident that almost cost me my shooting hand!"

"I said I was sorry!"

"Whatever," Train said with a wave of his hand. "Here's your present." He tossed it to Sven.

Sven opened the box and peered inside.

"A pack of Nicorette gum, and...a new eye patch?"

"Your old one was getting ratty looking," Train said.

Sven nodded. "Thanks Train...I think."

"You're welcome!" Train replied cheerily.

"Here, Train," said Eve, handing him a brown box wrapped up in a large bow.

He eyed it suspiciously and sniffed it.

"Thanks princess! Hey, this doesn't smell half bad. Now, let's see what I got."

Shining holly wrapping paper was torn apart in seconds to reveal...

"A dried fish cake."

"Yes, Neko San loves his," she said pointing to the adopted white cat that seemed to follow them in all their travels. Over the years they took him in, and he-half stray, half house cat-came and went as he pleased. Neko meowed happily as he chewed on his fish cake.

Train rolled his eyes.

"Princess, you get me something like this every year. I'm starting to run out of closet space! And Neko keeps getting into my closet to eat 'em! At this rate, he'll die as the fattest cat that ever lived!"

"This one is different," she replied, pointing to one corner. Protruding from it was a ribbon in a knotted loop. "It's an air freshener."

Sven laughed, and Train shrugged. "At least it's useful."

Train tossed her his package. The wrapping job was...well...pathetic.

She opened it and in the box was a folded sheet of paper.

Unfolding the paper, she read the message and shot him a glare.

"What's it say Eve?" Sven asked innocently.

She passed it to him wordlessly.

The paper read: I O U.

"Train, that's not fair. At least she got you something," said Sven with a shake of his head.

Train glanced over at Eve.

Damn, he thought. If looks could kill...

He threw up his hands in surrender.  
"No worries, just think of it as a blank, ask-me-for-whatever-you-want paper. It's hard enough getting a little girl a gift, but it's almost impossible getting a teenage girl a gift. I'd rather fight Creed one on one any day."

Eve stared at him icily.

They knew Train wasn't very good in the "gift department," but this year, he hit an all time record.

"Thanks Train. Here's your present Sven."

A nicely wrapped gold box artfully tied with shining red ribbon was exchanged from her hands to his.

He smiled at her and set his mug down on the table.  
Carefully, he opened the package to find a strongly built silver watch resting loosely on black velvet. Its ticking was smooth-almost imperceptible. The face of the watch was blacker than the velvet that protected it with silver markings that glimmered in the faint light.

"It tells the date, the time of course, and it works like a map," said Eve softly. "There is a GPS satellite connected to it, so you'll never get lost in between jobs, and so you won't have to worry about more complicated paper maps. I read some new ground breaking technology books-so I learned how to alter a regular watch into a better, more useful one."

Sven opened his eyes wide in surprise.

"You mean, you did this Eve?"

She nodded.

"It's a lot simpler than it seems. You just have to memorize the order of things."

Train's mouth opened wide. "You got Sven a super cool watch, and got me potpourri fish?"

"Train-you gave her a sheet of paper for Christmas."

"Hey, it's a wish paper...that's practically gold!" he argued briefly, but seeing as his defense was crumbling, gave up.

Sven looked at Eve warmly.

"Thank you Eve, it's really a great gift. I'll wear it always."

Eve blushed at the compliment, but quickly sat down to open her gift. It was wrapped in red, and a white bow adorned the corner. It was very small.  
Once opened, she gasped softly.

Laying in a gray encasement was a smooth, golden heart the size of her thumb nail.

"It's a locket Eve. Open it," Sven said reassuringly.

She flipped it to its side and parted the heart in two. Inside was a picture of Sven with his hand resting on Eve's shoulder-who was dressed in her favorite gown from seven years before. It was a picture of their first Christmas together. If one looked closely, an ankle protruding from a brown shoe could be seen behind them, as if floating in mid air.

"That's Train's foot, remember? He was leaning on that ladder next to the big tree in Annette's bar and he ended up toppling over right as the picture was taken."

"No way! Lemme see!" exclaimed Train, who believed that he had erased all evidence of that photo.

Eve's face was red. She nearly looked sick.

"Eve? Do you not like it? We can return it and pick something else," Sven said hurriedly.

She shook her head and jumped over to his kneeling form.

"Thank you Sven," she whispered into his shirt as she embraced him. "It's beautiful."

Sven wrapped his arms around her.

"You're welcome."

"Man, all this excitement has got me starving. Let's eat!!" said Train as he stood with a stretch.

"You must have been a cow in another life," said Eve passively.

"Oh yeah? How do you figure?" asked Train as he cracked an eye at her.

"Cows have four stomachs."

Sven laughed while Train and Eve went at it...

"I'm a growing boy!"

"You're a glutton."

"Well...I'm a better sweeper!"

Eve formed her hand in the shape of a mallet...

"I'll go make breakfast before World War III starts in my living room," said Sven, a bead of sweat forming on his forehead.

"OWW!" he heard Train's voice from the kitchen. "Boy Princess, you've gotten faster!"

"I'll show you who's a better sweeper..." Eve's calm reply reached his ears.

Neko moewed nervously at the violence.

That Christmas had been their best Christmas together to date. But it brought with it false hopes of goodness in the year to come.

**Present Day: **

_Eve_, thought Sven painfully. He thumbed the broken watch on his right hand.

_There's no time left._ Sven looked down into his empty glass.

In it, he saw the reflection of haggard looking man with a poor looking eye patch and an unshaven face. Unable to look at himself any longer, he slid the glass aside bitterly.

_I have to find you. And I__ll make those bastards pay for what they__'ve done._

Sven stumbled behind the counter, and chose a particularly strong whiskey. He opened it, taking a long drought. The liquor proved stronger than expected, and he coughed roughly, sputtering at its potency. Sliding dejectedly against the wall and onto the bar floor, he gripped the bottle tightly until his knuckles turned white. His eyes were looking directly ahead of him, but his stare was fixed on nothing.

_I__ll save you Eve_-_even if I have to die to see it through._

**Next Chapter: **

**T****rain comes to town to check on Sven, but finds a drunk in his stead. Infuriated and disappointed, he tries to gets Sven to talk about what happened to Eve. Can he convince his partner to forget about their painful past long enough to try and save her while there still might be time?**

Note: "Neko San" is translated to "Mr. Cat" in Japanese. I would have left it just "Cat" in English, but it would have been very _Breakfast at Tiffany's_...not that that's bad, but, its not really _Black Cat. :-)_

* * *

_For those who don't know:The Eden Project (In the anime TV series) was a plan controlled by the Chronos leader Mason and moved into play by "The Doctor" (who worked for Creed as one of the Apostles of the Stars)...They captured Eve and had turned her into a biological weapon...taking control of the world city by city (basically, she was in a ship and they projected her nano-machine powers onto cities, where she fed off the energy of human life). She was put into a trance-like state where she talked to "Adam" (an integral part of a large computer system connected to her...sort of like a talking computer in human form) who tried to persuade her to end the world-without her really knowing that she was ending it. I won't tell you what happens after. If you really want to know, message me. No spoilers. Just a short explanation._


	2. After Adam: Eve's Creation

**Disclaimer:**_ Don't own the cat. Never will._

**Author's note:**_ Well I'm back. Alive and dehydrated…_:-)_…I haven't felt so sick in a long time!! I hope you guys take delight this chapter…lol…it's much more substantial (less fluffy) than the last one. _

_Fun Facts: Eve is 19, Sven is 38, Train is 31, and Rins is 29. Thats the actual age difference according to the manga...obviously, they were seven to eight yrs younger in the manga/anime series. Train is 5.74 feet tall, Sven is 5.9 ft, Rins is 5.4 ft, and Eve was 4.36 at 11 yrs of age...as the years passed, she reached her full height-which matches Tearju's (she _is _her clone after all)-this height is approximately 5ft._

_Please R & R…without your reviews, I'm not as encouraged to write the story…It means a lot. Thanks whoever's out there! And enjoy!_

* * *

**After Adam: Eve's Creation**

_A__nd the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man_

_Genesis 2: 21-23_

_-_

Intense rays of light filtered through the blinds of the shop's front door the next morning. Sven laid there, half asleep, half awake–face directly under the glare of the sun. His hand twitched slightly, grasping for anything that would help connect himself to his surroundings. A bottle met the tips of his fingers and rolled away. He opened his eyes.

Bad idea.

Pure and unyielding white invaded his vision and did absolutely nothing to help his hangover. Slowly, he shifted himself to a smarter, less painful position next to the door–and most importantly–away from the blazing light.

_Eve._

It was his first thought and his last–everyday. She haunted him. Her knowing violet eyes, her subtle observations, her quiet presence at his side, the unreadable way she looked at him... It was a self inflicted pain–remembering her. A double edged sword. She had been his happiness after all...and it was always good to remember happiness...wasn't it?

Sven cracked his eyes open, accustoming them to the day. The sound of his rhythmic, shallow breathing lulled him to languor, but he determinedly fought it. He had many things to do today...It was an important day, he remembered...Exactly what day was it?

He looked at the calender Annette always kept near the sweeper wall covered in posters of outlaws with bounties on their heads. It read December 25.

_Damn. _

He had forgotten. He now regretted ever looking at the calender.

Sven shifted his eyes to the right and to his delight, found the liquor wall. Now alcohol wasn't the only thing found in Annette's Café Sithe. Food and other refreshments were also available, but with the mass of sweepers that entered everyday, she had enough business sense to keep her "less-than-respectable" supplies stocked up to make a decent profit from her "less-than-respectable" clientele. Although sweeper licenses were usually required to enter sweeper cafes, Annette's doubled as a regular cafe-so that wasn't a necessity...not unless someone wanted information from her anyway...

Sven wanted to stand and walk to the wall that called to him irresistibly...but found that his body did not want the same thing. It would not, by any means, listen to the orders issued by his brain. He found this very inconvenient.

A muffled sound distracted him from his temporary predicament. It could have easily been mistaken as the faint clambering of a scavenging mouse in an empty milk carton or in the insulated spaces in the walls. But he knew better.

"If you didn't wanna be heard, you wouldn't have made so much noise. So come out already," grumbled Sven irritably.

Then came the shadow that Sven hadn't seen for a long time.

"How've you been, partner?"

* * *

_One Year Earlier, Christmas morning cont: _

"Have no fear, Auntie Rins is here!"

Rinslet Walker stepped into the house from outside. The smell of bacon, eggs, and toast wafted temptingly to her nose. She turned her head to see Train and Sven enjoying their breakfast at the dining room table.

"Sven, why'd you have to give her that spare key?" Train groaned.

"That key was strictly for emergencies. How was I supposed to know she'd abuse her privileges?" Sven said crankily.

"Well aren't you two the most shining examples of good manners?" said Rinslet, closing the door behind her. "You could've said, 'Hey Rins, it's been a long time. We're so glad to see you. How've you been?'" she retorted in annoyance.

"Hey Rins, it's been a long time. We're so glad to see you. When are you leaving?" Train mimicked.

Rins cocked an eyebrow.

"Well someone's cranky this morning."

Sven looked up from his breakfast.

"He woke up early."

Rinslet's mouth formed an 'ah,' as she nodded in comprehension. "That's all? What a baby," she laughed.

Train opened his mouth to deliver a smart reply when Eve walked into the room.

"Hello Rins," she said.

Rinslet turned.

"Eve! I swear, every time I see you, you get prettier!" She cried as she hugged Eve. "It sure has been a while."

"It's only been a week and a half!" Train muttered.

"Where's Jenos?" Eve asked, looking up at Rins.

Rinslet loosed her hold on Eve and waved her hand indifferently. "He's out of town on some business." She looked around. "Did you get my present?"

Eve nodded.

"The dress was beautiful, thank you."

"I'm glad you liked it," Rinslet said, looking satisfied.

"So Rins, what brings you here?" asked Sven between bites.

"Just passing through and wanted to say hello," she laughed nervously.

Train glanced over at Sven who gave him a knowing look.

Rinslet took Eve by the hand.

"Show me what you got. I want to see everything! Maybe we can go shopping tomorrow for things to go with some your new stuff..." Her voice disappeared as the door to Eve's room closed behind her.

"Something's up," said Train quietly.

Sven only nodded.

* * *

They met at the small restaurant located a block over. Rins slipped the two a note when she left Eve's room for a quick "bite to eat." When she had Eve thoroughly tired out (making her try on endless array of outfits), she left her to a book, and said she was going to catch up on old times with Train and Sven. Luckily, the café was open Christmas day.

"What's going on Rins?" asked Sven, taking a sip of coffee.

"First off–where the hell have you been?! We've been trying to contact you for days now–with no luck!"

"I cut off the telephone and cable to the apartment because it was getting too expensive, and _someone_ threw my cell in the washer while they were doing laundry," said Sven glancing over at Train.

"Hey, at least I _do _the laundry! Its an improvement."

"Yeah, and you do a great job. I had to buy a new wardrobe because half of it turned pink," Sven protested under his breath.

"Okay guys, lets focus. I've been really worried," said Rins. Her coffee was untouched.

"What's there to worry about? You know we can take care of ourselves," said Train leaning back in his chair to look at the sky.

"Its not you two I was worried about. Its Eve."

Sven sat up and leaned in towards her while Train shot his eyes in her direction, listening intently.

"What about her?" asked Sven rigidly.

Rins sighed helplessly. No sense in delaying the inevitable...might as well say it quickly.

"Its about the Eden project."

Sven opened his eyes wide. "What do you mean? That's done and over with."

"No. No it isn't. Jenos and I were speaking to Dr. Tearju, who has secretly been monitoring Eve from a distance. Tearju started to get worried after she heard about Eve's recurring nightmares."

"Did Eve say something about it?" asked Train.

Rins nodded.

_She's never told me what her nightmares were about_, thought Sven, looking at his hands.

"After further inspection she discovered that the good Doctor and Mason worked more on Eve when they kidnapped her years ago. She believes they added another doomsday chip in her. It evaded her inspection before because it has something to do with Eve reaching adulthood. Jenos is with her now, trying to get some more information."

Sven let out a long, slow breath and lit a cigarette. This time, Train didn't bother stopping him.

* * *

Eve leaned on her bed's headboard, spending her small respite by reading a book. It wasn't that she was tired of Auntie Rins, she was just–tired. An overwhelming feeling of lethargy came over her when Rins enthusiastically urged her to change outfits for her perusal. Rins wanted to see every outfit–which was a task in of itself. It was odd, because she always felt energized and in shape–it was a sweepers job in fact–or in her case, a sweeper in training. Only today...Today she wasn't feeling herself. She felt this inexplicable force urging her to see Sven–converse with him perhaps, or merely just observe him. She enjoyed being in his presence, and believed that maybe he also enjoyed having her silent presence beside him. That thought gave her comfort, and she dwelled on it often. Her eyelids fluttered, and the book in her hands fell aside with a soft thud on the quilt. Sleep called to her, and she could do nothing but obey.

* * *

"So what's this doomsday chip gonna do? I take it that its not like the last one?" asked Train.

"No," Rins replied with a shake of her head. "Its much worse...To tell you the truth, I don't even know where to begin..."

"Rinslet–just tell us already. How serious is this?" Sven asked sternly.

She picked up her coffee cup, as if to drink it, but absentmindedly traced the edges of the lip's edge instead. Rins continued with a shaky voice and a grim expression on her face.

"We all know Eve has been maturing slowly and steadily to adulthood, and her powers have grown with her. This new doomsday chip has been ultra sensitive to these growth patterns over the years. As she has become stronger, the chip has become even more embedded into her system. Ultimately, when Eve's body reaches full maturity-the chip will activate itself, and her "re-creation" of paradise will begin. The last time this happened, she went city by city gaining strength slowly to eventually spread over countries. This time, she won't need to look for power reserves-she will have it already collected. This time, global panic will hit...whole armies from all over will attack...the entire world will be against her."

"How the hell do you know?..." Sven asked, stricken. "How do you know it'll happen this way?"

Train sat silently, brooding.

"Because," replied Rins, looking into her cup helplessly. "Tearju's gone back and forth with blood tests and examinations. She's convinced, not only because of the test results but because not too long ago Jenos found some old plans among Mason's things that Tearju herself had discarded from her lab. But I don't know the details...her and Jenos are figuring that out now. Really, all I know is that the chip's the trigger, and that Eve's the bullet." She paused for a moment. "She will reinvent the world to turn it into a pseudo paradise...There will be _nothing_ left..."

* * *

There was the sound of children playing, but it was nighttime at the playground. Eve was on a swing set, the world moved up and down with her as she swung herself cheerfully. A white suit came into her field of vision. Immediately recognizing it, she ground her feet into the sand and came to a halting stop.

"Sven!" she called, half laughing, breathless from her play.

She jumped off the swing and ran to his smiling form, hugging him enthusiastically. He grunted with the force of her embrace.

"Eve..." Sven choked out. "Eve what have you done to me?"

Alarmed, she pulled back to look at him-to find that her hand was in the form of a long knife, and that it was in his belly. Unthinking, she wrenched her hand away. Sven cried out and fell to his knees. Her outstretched hand was covered in his blood, her body trembled as horror and nausea filled her, but she bit her lips to keep control.

"Eve..." he whispered as he gazed up at her. His eyes shined with pain...and worst of all...condemnation.

Sven fell to the ground with a sickening thud.

"No! Sven, please! Please, wake up...!!" she shook him while she screamed, unable to stop herself any longer... "NOO!"

* * *

There was a momentary silence as the gravity of what Rins settled on the two listeners. It was Sven who spoke first.

"You're wrong. Eve stopped it before and she can do it again. All she needs is our help." Sven shook his head stubbornly. "You don't know how strong she is."

"Now you're wrong," Rins said with tears in her eyes. "I know how strong she is. She's strong enough to try and bear it all on her own shoulders while trying not to worry anyone. She'd do it even if it threatens to tear her apart. And that's why I'm so scared for her."

Her words shocked Sven mute.

"Can't the chip be removed before it starts any of this doomsday crap?" Train asked Rins.

Rins sighed miserably. "Not at this point. Maybe before, when she was younger, but now, too much time has past. The codes in the chip are literally embedded in every cell in her body."

"So where do we go from here?" asked Train quietly. "What do we tell the princess?"

"Nothing."

Rins and Train looked at Sven, whose face was half covered by his hat.

"How do you suppose we tell a girl who has so much to live for that she's a ticking time bomb, and when she blows, the whole world'll go with her?"

"I don't like it. We've got to tell her Sven--she'd want us to be honest with her," Train countered quietly.

"Yeah, it may not be what she wants, but–" he paused, unconsciously fingering the watch Eve had given him just that morning. "What I'm afraid of is what will happen to Eve. What will be the repercussions of telling her all of this?"

"Train's right," Rins interjected resolutely. "She needs to know. Eve may be the only one to figure out a way to prevent all of this. It's the only way to a solution–for now at least," Rins said.

For a while, none of them spoke. They were all lost in their own thoughts–all trying to find solutions...

Sven sighed.

"Fine. But I'll tell her."

"I don't think she'd have it any other way," said Train, smiling dismally.

"By the way," said Rinslet. "Tearju wanted to be the one to explain this to both of you, because she feels the most responsible–as Eve's principal creator–but Jenos and I persuaded her to let me do the talking, since she's the only one besides Eve who can find a solution at this point, she should concentrate on it and nothing else."

* * *

"Eve?" Sven called as he opened the door to the house.

There was no reply.

"Princess...?" Train followed.

Rins was third, but she said nothing and went to Eve's room. As soon as she entered, she left and closed the door behind her.

"She's asleep," she said softly.

Train nodded and Sven's eyes betrayed his relief.

"So are you guys sure about this?" Rins whispered as she neared them.

Train looked at Sven.

"We're sure. There's nothing else to do. We'll tell her the truth."

Rins nodded, getting ready to collect her things when a scream tore through the house.

"Eve!" she cried, and ran to the room.

Once in the room, Rins knelt by the bed...Sven and Train stood helplessly behind her.

"Eve! Wake up Eve!" Rins cried, touching her forehead.

* * *

Blood was on her hands, _his_ blood.

She hugged his unconscious form, trying to wake him. She turned him over and put her head to his heart.

"Please, please don't die Sven...Please..." she whispered against his chest. She heard one heartbeat, then two...then...

"Sven?" Eve called softly.

"Sven...?!" She cried louder, grief crashing into her like a wall of bricks.

"Eve wake up!" Rins cried.

"SVEN!" she screamed wildly. "SVEN!"

She scanned her bedroom, and saw him at the foot of her bed, concern written clearly on his face. Train was standing next to Rins with his hands in his pockets. He was obviously at a loss.

Eve gripped at her sheets rigidly while she felt her quickened heartbeat slow steadily.

"Eve."

Sven approached her laying figure and touched her arm gently.

"Get away!" cried Eve, jerking her arm away and turning to her side violently. Sven froze, looking hurt and confused.

"Eve, its alright," Rins said worriedly, smoothing her hair gently.

Eve didn't answer as she trembled in Rinslet's lap.

"She had another nightmare," said Sven retreating from her shaking figure. "This is the worst one so far."

Train gave Sven a look...Should they still try to tell her everything after this? Or would it only make things harder for Eve?

* * *

_One Year Later, Christmas day: _

"So, how've ya been partner?" Train said with a half smile that belayed anything but happiness.

"Peachy. Can't you tell?" Sven retorted without even looking at him.

Train's reply wasn't immediate. He just watched the shell of his partner struggle to merely keep his head up.

"Sven, we agreed that I would follow Eve's trail, and you would follow after you got supplies to use against her kidnappers." He impatiently gestured his hands in a wide arc. "Where are the weapons? Where were you? How are we gonna save Eve?"

Sven ignored him and started to lift himself slowly.

"Sven?" Train tried again.

His partner glanced at him, but still he said nothing.

Train punched him in the face.

"Start talking dammit!"

Sven hit the floor hard, his cheek red from the impact of his friend's fist. Train looked at him expectantly--but Sven's stare was painfully vacant.

Train sighed and picked him up roughly from the floor. Sven grunted, dizzy from the hit and steadying his wobbly feet all at once. He leaned against Train, who set him in a chair. Sven took off his hat and set it on the table next to him. It gave him something to look at.

"The weapons are all in the car...I had them prepared a long time ago...but when I tried contacting you...you didn't answer Train. I tried tracking you, but it was an impossible thing- even for me-all I could do was sit here and wait. Where were _you_? We lost a lot of time."

"I was trailing her Sven. They never stopped moving, and they had a five day lead ahead of me. She was _almost _impossible to track down. Its not like she turned into a big target again...she's still in her own body."

Sven shook his head at his partner accusingly.

"You didn't track her well enough."

Train fleetingly reflected hurt, but the feeling was quickly replaced with anger.

"What happened to you?" he asked, glaring at Sven in with half formed cat eyes.

Sven sighed shakily and looked down. In a broken voice he began.

"Eve is gone Train...I saw it in my vision eye two weeks ago. Eve...doesn't exist anymore."

* * *

**Next Chapter:**

**Train and Sven are summoned by Tearju the day after Christmas with an urgent message. They meet with her and she discusses Eve's hopeless future...but there are still many things to talk about...like who's really responsible for the Eden Project...**

Hey...you know the dealio...go review...I know you're reading this...give a writer some feedback!! I need some help or encouragement! I've got no beta-reader, so you're it!


	3. Temptation: Eve and the Snake

_**Disclaimer: **Not mine.  
_

_**Author's Note: **Its finally here!! I apologize again for updating so late…I planned to get these out at least monthly...but w/ finals and other craziness in my life, I haven't had the time. Plus this story's gotten totally out of control. I had an idea for this story to be rather short, but now I'm getting all these insane ideas that will make the story longer than I intended. So frustrating. It's getting out of hand. A beta would be great right now. But hey...w/e. I'll try to keep these chappies crankin', but ultimately, it's the support I get from my readers that will make me decide whether this story is worth investing so much time into or not. Btw, I also want to apologize to my early readers for my changes of the chapters after I put them up. Though there's nothing different about the plot, I want to make the characterizations better and the dialogue is weak in areas...so I periodically go back and fix that here and there when I realize that it's needed... Let me know if the past and present flashbacks are confusing...I really hope they aren't...Oh! I added a little "Fun Facts" blurb at the top of chapter 2, if you wanna go see that...I didn't put it on the author's note to this chapter because that would have made it too long... :-/ ... :-)_

* * *

**Temptation: Eve and the Snake**

_Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil._

_Genesis 3: 1-5_

_-_

Train's body trembled.

"What are you talking about?"

Sven was unmoved. He seemed heartless, indifferent in his response.

"She's dead."

A jolt of electricity moved through Train's body. He stood at an inhuman speed.

"Explain what the hell's going on..."

* * *

_One year earlier, December 26:_

"This isn't it!!" she screamed. "This isn't the cure!!"

In a violent outburst, Tearju flung the beakers and test tubes littering her desk and sent them shattering against the wall.

The door to the laboratory opened wide.

"What happened?!" cried Jenos as he burst in the room.

"Eve's cure...I can't find it. I've tried everything..." she buried her face in her hands.

"Its alright Dr. Tearju...I'm sure you'll find something soon..."

Jenos' voice trailed away as he realized how empty his words sounded. He sighed...and rested his back against the doorway, gazing at nothing in particular.

_What else haven't I tried?_ Tearju asked herself anxiously.

Her hands reached for the timeline...the one she had found in her cellar a few days ago.

_There has to be a crack in the timeline...some sort of weakness..._

She looked at it for perhaps the thousandth time since its discovery. She trailed the scraggly lines that seemed more to her like deep fissures in torn earth than ink on paper. It was going to happen very soon. _I'm running out of time..._

"Call for Sven and Train...I need them here. I need to speak to them," she whispered tiredly.

Jenos nodded. "Yeah...I will."

With that, he turned and left to make the call.

As he walked down the hall, Jenos couldn't help thinking how useless he felt in this whole situation. All he could do was try and gather information from the "inside," which was almost impossibility since Torneo Rudman's lab had been destroyed with all evidence inside of it. He'd heard-but it was only speculation-something unfounded and almost laughable...that Torneo had a boss. It was hard to believe that Torneo hadn't been the head of operations—he was definitely crazy enough to run all kinds of these insane experiments. He heard that there had been someone in the shadows using him as a puppet for some "great plan."..._obviously_ the end of the world.

But he couldn't believe it. In any case, it was all hearsay. Plus his source...well you can't call a crazed lunatic who had served as a tool of Chronos a credible source, but to every rumor there's a grain of truth.

_I mean, how the hell would he pull an incredible story like that out of his ass? _he asked himself, and not for the first time since he heard the outlandish tale.

Jenos paused as he noticed the time. It was six in the morning-not exactly the best time to call...he figured Rins would be awake...she hadn't had much sleep since this whole thing started...but still...

There was no time to be deliberating...he growled as he reached the phones and made the necessary call.

* * *

Rinslet was half asleep when she felt her cell phone vibrating in her jean pocket. It startled her into consciousness.

"Hello?" she said, a little groggily. Her eyebrows furrowed as she heard Jenos' request on the other end.

"She wants to see them? What, now? Yeah..yeah okay, fine..." Rins flipped her cell phone closed; Sven sat across the room, waiting silently for an explanation.

"Tearju...she wants to talk to you two ASAP."

He nodded and leaned back, thinking about Eve. He wanted to check up on her, but since she was a light sleeper, he thought it best to wait.

He'd been up the whole night thinking about the situation. Eve had been sleeping so much lately...she was tired all the time...which was a pain since the nightmares had become more frequent. He sighed. He didn't want to leave...but he really had no choice...

* * *

Eve had calmed down and fallen asleep again in Rin's arms that evening, but early the next morning before sunup; she was standing at her open window, staring vacantly at the faint light on the horizon. There was something wrong with her...that much was made clear when she saw the expression on Tearju's face as she told her about the nightmares. That, and her constant fatigue. Eve leaned into the wooden post by her window as she watched the light creep across the sky.

_What's wrong with me?_

She bent over to open the window. Taking in a breath of the cold, morning air, she leaned out to admire the snow covered terrain. A rumbling sound caught her attention and she turned her head to see Train and Sven driving off in the old Volkswagen Beetle that they all shared for so many years. Intrigued, she watched as they were almost out of her sight...and then...she jumped out the window.

* * *

No words were shared between the two longtime partners on the drive to Tearju's. Though Rins and Sven stayed up the night before, Train went to bed. He said that the best help he could offer Eve was actually being able to function to deal with the problem the next day...that, and he _could r_eally sleep through anything. Rins stayed behind to wait on Eve and to make sure she didn't have another nightmare.

Train opened his mouth to break the silence, but he got distracted by a blur on his right. When he turned to look, nothing was there. His eyes formed black slits...

All movement stopped and he heard the car door slam.

Sven, lost in his own thoughts, was already walking to Tearju's front door. When he reached the doorstep, he paused and turned.

"You coming?"

Train gave him a wry smile and got out of the car.

They both walked to the door, but before they could ring the doorbell, Jenos appeared. He rested his arm on the doorway slightly and inclined his head towards the parked volts wagon.

"I could hear that thing a mile away. When I couldn't, I figured either it broke down, or you were here. Either way, I had to check up on you."

The vein in Sven's forehead popped out.

"That car is in perfect condition. I worked on it myself."

"My point exactly."

"I'm pretty sure we came here to talk to Tearju...not the likes of you...so why don't you go on being her butler and take us to the lab?!" yelled Sven.

"Yeah, while you're on it, can you get us something to eat?! I'm starved!!" exclaimed Train cattily.

Now Jenos' body grew tense.

"I'm not her butler you asses, I'm her bodyguard and informant!"

Sven's voice lowered in irritation.

"Listen, Jenos-"

"Bodyguard?" Train interrupted. Jenos and Sven stopped and looked at him. "Why would she need a bodyguard?"

Jenos' back straightened, but his eyes gave nothing away.

"Come inside."

With that, they entered Tearju's house.

As they walked down the hall Jenos explained.

"I think someone else may be behind the Eden project..."

Train shook his head.

"I don't follow."

Jenos stopped.

"Torneo may have not been behind the Eden project. As crazy as the story sounds, I think he may have been someone's puppet. And whoever was smart enough to remain anonymous this whole time is smart enough to know that we've figured things out and that we're trying to reverse it."

"What's your source? How'd you hear about this?" asked Sven.

Jenos pursed his lips.

"Chronos number Zero."

"What? Jenos, you better not be pulling my leg..."

"Chronos number Zero was an additive, experimental number Sven," said Train.

Sven froze, taken aback.

"He was added sometime after me actually...I remember the day they brought him in..." Train tilted his head back in recollection. "He was pretty scrawny...but in a muscled sort of way. Sinewy I guess...and he was really tall-'bout six four. His hair was brown and messy, sort of plastered on his face...and he had these..." Train lifted his hands and passed them over his eyes. "...Wild, maniacal sort of eyes. The guy would look back and forth across the room...like he was scared of something."

"What could he have been afraid of?" Sven asked.

"I don't know, but I heard that they had done some experiments on him...he had this kind of...well, they called it a gift. He could see into the future like you Sven, but for a much longer amount of time. Plus, he didn't have his powers under control...I heard that he would dream of the future every night...and then, he'd get sudden, constant visions during the day. I think that's part of what had him so crazy. They needed him for the most dangerous missions...by knowing what would happen before it happened, they'd have certain victory in the end."

He paused, uncertain whether to continue or not. His eyes measured Sven and Jenos carefully.

Train sighed.

"I think what really drove him crazy was his constant contact with Chronos X, Y, and Z."

Sven and Jenos looked at Train questioningly.

"Those are the three founders of Chronos," said Train, closing an eye and yawning.

"Hold on, I've never heard that. Even when I was admitted as Number Seven..." said Jenos.

"That's because you never left Chronos the way I did...when you leave, you need leverage. That information was my leverage. If word got out that one of the most powerful organizations in the world had really been started by three mercenaries, the whole system would have fallen apart. I can only say it because now, eight years later, Chronos has practically disintegrated to nothing."

"So what are they now? The elders?" Jenos asked.

"No. The elders are the elders. They were chosen by X, Y and Z to do the job. X, Y, and Z worked in the shadows. Not even Sephiria has seen them...she just knows about them. Like I know about them. Afterwards we were able to talk about it, but neither of us know much more than what I just told you."

Jenos nodded at Train. He was not one who particularly enjoyed dwelling on mysticism. "Yeah, well in any case, I got the information from him. He's pretty out of it, but no one has any proof that he's ever lied about anything on the job..."

Sven looked at him curiously.

"So who's behind it?"

Jenos put his hands in his pockets and smiled ruefully before he turned to lead them the rest of the way.

"He won't say."

Down the hall there was a door that led to the basement. As they descended to the lower level, the smell of smoke filled their nostrils. Jenos started coughing.

"What the hell?..."

Tearju was at the Bunsen burner with a pan in her hand. The pan had a indiscernible rounded black lump in the center.

"Oh no..." Sven whispered, gripping his hat tightly.

She turned to her left to face them.

"Its early...I thought you might be hungry, so I made panca..."

She tripped as she walked toward them.

Through much practice over the years, Sven had learned how to evade her burnt food projectiles. Jenos, however, had not.

"OWWWW!" Jenos gripped his wounded face.

"You better go get some painkillers...if you think it hurts now..." started Sven.

"mmndamnn.." was Jenos' muffled reply through his hands.

"Sorry about that...I'm really very clumsy...I'll go get you ice and-"

"No!" Jenos cried out holding out one hand. "No, it's okay! I'll get it myself."

"That's too bad...I was really hungry..." said Train looking longingly at the black lump on the floor.

Sven rolled his eyes.

"Well," Tearju began, pan set aside. "Now that you're here...I guess we can talk about...what you came here to talk about..."

* * *

Rins hummed as she walked to Eve's bedroom. She was in better spirits, now carrying the tray of breakfast she made for both she and Eve. Maybe they could talk about those nightmares...maybe it would make Eve feel better to get if off her chest.

"Eve I made coffee, and egg and cheese sandwiches," she said, as she entered the room. "I hope you like-"

Rins looked on the bed covered in crumpled sheets. Empty. A breeze entered through the window to her right. It was open. It didn't take a genius to figure out what Eve had done. Rins had been watching the other end of the door all morning. There was no way she could have gone through there. That, and the old Volkswagen could be heard from an unbelievable distance...even for the untrained ear.

"Oh Eve," she whispered.

Rins set the tray down and hurried out the apartment with her coat and cell phone in hand. She hoped she could reach Jenos in time.

* * *

Eve knelt next to one of the windows leading into Tearju's lab. Since it was in the basement, the windows were really only small rectangles shorter than the length of her forearm, but she had managed to find one cracked open by the steps toward the side of the lab. Luckily Tearju was a rather scatterbrained person—the window had probably been left open by accident and forgotten—and on this far end of the lab there were boxes piled up high to the ceiling, giving her the perfect cover. She could hear everything, but she couldn't be seen. She had trained enough as a sweeper to not be heard when in hiding. The only drawback was the moldy smell that rose from some of the boxes that had gotten damp with snow and that she had forgotten her sweater--the misty trails left by her breaths reminded her of the cold. It was only the day after Christmas, and snow was still falling in heavy sheets. She heard a swishing of clothes followed by an uncomfortable silence.

"So?" _That's Train's voice_.

"I need to show you something." _Tearju, definitely_.

The faint sound of rustling paper reached her ears, and she strained to listen.

"What is it?" _Sven._

"This is a timeline. It was something given to me by Torneo so that I could graph Eve's growth from childhood to adulthood. It indicates the levels she should reach at certain ages, for example: the age she should be to form a knife, gun, or cannon-but that's all."

"Then why is it so important? Eve doesn't need that anymore. She's free." _Sven again._

"It would seem that way, yes. But when put over a light box, the timeline is altered."

Eve heard a few steps, followed by what she supposed to be a switch being flipped on.

"This is the real timeline. This one is dictated by the second microchip planted internally by Torneo behind my back."

_Second chip? He planted a second-_

"What does it all mean? It looks like chicken scratch..." Train said.

Eve remembered the berserker chip the doctor forced on her when she tried to escape Torneo's mansion. It resulted in her stabbing Sven with a long knife that she formed from her own hands. The memory still haunted her.

"It looks like Torneo wrote it by hand," Tearju observed. "He was clearly not himself when he wrote it."

"Or maybe he was more like himself than usual," Sven commented bitterly.

Eve couldn't help but smile, Sven always hated Torneo for what he did to her. Whenever he was brought up, he got sulky and irritable.

"What's it say?" It was sort of muffled, but Eve could tell that Jenos was in the basement as well.

"Five stages are outlined on this handwritten timeline: The Blossoming, the Diffusion, the Immobilization, the Eradication, and finally, Paradise. Each one indicates a deeper stage in Eve's final development. The Blossoming is characterized by Eve finally reaching adulthood. Although she is nineteen now, she, like any other individual, grows at a set pace. Each human being reaches adulthood at different times and different years. The tests I've done on Eve indicate her closeness to this stage. What is keeping her from blossoming is her very strange, very late burst of sexual maturity."

Eve blushed from her position behind the boxes.

Unbeknownst to Eve-Sven, Train, and Jenos also blushed.

"It's most strange because my own sexual maturity was reached years earlier than hers. As my clone, she should exhibit the same physical tendencies. But this is the one difference."

She thought for a moment and went on.

"In all intents and purposes, she will reach sexual maturity, and go on to the second stage-Diffusion-where she will spread her power throughout the Earth and direct its energy against itself. The third stage-Immobilization-will provision the creation of paradise. Essentially, this is the calm before the is the stage that her defenses will be highest...she will immobilize all the worlds forces against her. Fourth, is the Eradication, where she lashes out and destroys all life forms, beginning the world anew. Paradise is the fifth and final stage. A pseudo Paradise is formed from the old world and she will bend it to her every desire."

Eve gasped and covered her mouth. She couldn't believe what she was hearing...she had tried to escape her past as a living weapon as a child, and now she realized that all she was doing was running headlong into it again. She looked at her hands in their normal state. She could kill herself now...and be done with it. She could save the world and herself. She willed her hands to form a long knife-anything...but they did nothing but tremble. She was going to be sick. Tears formed in her eyes as an overwhelming wave of nausea came over her. She stumbled to a nearby tree and purged herself.

* * *

"I don't believe it! I won't! I don't care what that damned paper says...Eve won't do any of that!" Sven said, in vehement disbelief.

"You must. It will happen if we don't find a way to stop it," she answered calmly.

"How can you say this all so coldly? Like you don't care? This is Eve's life we're dealing with here... She's not a machine, she's not just some clone..she's human." Sven stood tensely in front of her-a figure that was so like Eve, that he might confuse them given the right circumstances-but she was so unlike Eve that it was scary. Eve seemed more human than she was, and Eve was the clone.

"Because I am cold and scientific by nature. And because I've already shed my tears Sven. I cannot shed any more. All I can do now is try to reverse this."

Sven turned his head to the side...unable to respond-whether from emotion or inability to argue with her answer.

Silence penetrated the room.

Jenos' cell phone rang. He answered hesitantly.

"Hello…? Rins is that you? The reception in here is terrible...I can barely understand you…"

"Well, I've heard all I needed to hear." Train said, turning around.

"Where do you think you're going?" Sven asked.

Train grinned.

"I'm gonna pee. Wanna join?"

Sven sighed and shook his head. His partner's attitude was frustrating, but he couldn't help but trust him. Train had never let him down before, so in return, Sven never questioned his actions...

"You'll never change," Sven replied, feeling his anger subsiding and a calm, helplessness take its place.

"Nope!" Train raised his hand in farewell and trotted up the stairs.

* * *

Eve was bent over double, standing at the gnarled roots of an oak. Acidic bile burned her throat as it rose up and out of her mouth. Eve's hand rested on the bark, steadying herself as she was cleansed of the sickening terror and dread that tore at her insides.

"One thing you forgot about working as a sweeper is that you never blow your cover."

Eve turned, horrified to see Train leaning on the tree opposite hers, watching her.

She wiped her mouth and stood shakily.

"Don't tell Sven," she whispered.

* * *

_One Year later:_

Train's eyes shot at Sven angrily, his hand itched to grab his partner by the collar again.

Sven sighed, his eyes closed painfully and in a voice barely above a whisper he continued.

"You can't argue with the future. You and I both know that."

"Your vision eye is wrong!" Train shouted heatedly.

Sven glanced up at Train.

"I wish it were Train. Do you know how many times I questioned myself? How many sleepless nights I went through trying to figure a way out of what I saw?"

He shook his head.

_Train doesn't understand…he doesn't know that it was my fault Eve transformed in the first place_.

"You have no idea," Sven finished.

Train looked away and sighed.

"I didn't want to tell you this, but a week ago I almost got caught by Eve...they're using her eyes as enemy detectors. I don't know how...but they're doing it. I felt her eyes on me...and in the last second, she moved them somewhere else. They could have caught me..and I would have been a goner. She spoke to me telepathically. 'Find Sven' she said...and that's probably all she could say...it's likely they were monitoring her every move."

Sven gazed at him in astonishment.

"Did you say...a week? A week ago?"

Train nodded.

"Your vision happened two weeks ago. It was supposed to come true _at most_ a day after...but a whole week passed and Eve still lived."

His gaze softened as he put his hand on his friend's shoulder. "I know things are getting bad Sven, but we can't give up. We can still save her partner, but we're not gonna to do it in here."

Sven allowed himself a small glimmer of hope.

Train offered him his hand, and helped his friend up.

Sven slowly made his way to the bar. He grabbed a stray napkin from the counter and a pen from his suit pocket and hurriedly scribbled a few words on it. He turned to his friend and allowed himself a half-hearted grin.

"Let's go," Sven said, and exited the front door.

Train watched his retreating figure and grimly followed. What he hoped his friend would never discover was that his story about Eve...was a lie.

**Next chapter: The last flashback reveals much—including Train's unspoken feelings about Eve's dilemma and the beginning of why Sven blames himself for what happened... **


	4. The Serpent's Design

**Author's Note, please read the following:**

_Special chapter guys...it all unfolds...so because its so special...and it took a month to write (20 Pgs guys...Come on!..Remember those 2-3 page papers we complain(ed) about as students? Try and comprehend 20! A review now and again would be nice to accompany all that hard work!...(hint hint)...its also a bit longer than usual (I usually write up to 8)—which is why I posted two chapters up—I had to divide it in two because it was so long. I hope this news is more of a plus than a minus tho..._

_Btw..sry it took so long for Train to have a voice in this, but it really couldn't happen before now...besides, Train just hit a couple chaps ago..and you still don't know where he's been really...we'll take turns, don't worry... :)_

_Also, the format of the chapters will be a little different. The first chapter will now be a base for everything I'm talking about in this story...I get a sense that it might be a little confusing, so I want to remedy that. If you're still confused as of now, please read it. Its just a short review on the anime that clarifies a few things. If you want to know the ending w/ spoilers, message me and I'll tell you the best way I can. If not—get Netflix...they've got that shit up and running, and you can rent it (two free wks w/out having to pay!!). But shhh...its our secret! The last thing we need is a million ppl to subscribe to Netflix just to watch anime that's hard to come by. That'll make it hard to rent, and lesser availability. So its cool...I hope you guys understand the story better. Please let me know if it'll help or not...I just don't wanna be writing something no can follow. This chapter is kind of mixed with humor and angst..so be prepared for both!_

* * *

**The Serpent's Design**

_And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel._

_Genesis 3: 14-15_

* * *

_Present day_

The keys to Annette's cafe jingled in her hand as she raised them to the lock. She pushed the key in, but the door went with it.

It was open.

She gasped, and thrust the door aside. "Sven?!"

Instead of Sven, she was greeted by a group of sweepers helping themselves to the food and alcohol in her cafe.

"Hey Annie! We've had our fill so we'll just be going now..."

"Annie?!" the hairs on Annette's head stood on end. The men took a step back in surprise.

She flew into a rage and singlehandedly took each one by the neck and carried them to the back room to retrieve mops, rags, and brooms.

On the counter, under a dirty glass—courtesy of the intruders—she found a note in what she recognized as Sven's elegant handwriting:

**_Annette, _**

**_Went to find Eve. Be back soon._**

**_-Sven and Train_**

_Those boys_, she thought fondly, finally relieved to have Sven out of his rut and see them working together again. She hoped with all her heart that they'd get Eve back safe and sound. She missed Eve so much. Eve, Rins, and herself were the only women she knew who could keep both of them on track...

The vein in her forehead popped, however, as she suddenly thought about the cafe they had left unlocked and ready for robbing.

"SVEN AND TRAIN!! YOU'RE GONNA PAY FOR ALL THIS YOU BASTARDS!"

Relieved to have expunged her vengeful feelings, she went away...muttering to herself while she moodily took a rag and swiped the counter, periodically checking that the illegally intruding sweepers—now wary of her wrath—did their jobs well in setting her store right again.

* * *

Sven and Train sneezed.

"Do you think someone could be talking about us?" asked Train.

"Nah..." answered Sven. He wasn't superstitious.

Train leaned in the passenger's seat as Sven drove the old Volkswagen they've had since the beginning. It really was a miracle that the car still worked. As he listened to the roar of the motor, Train's mind drifted to Sven's vision of Eve. Train wouldn't—couldn't believe it...it was impossible.

He had seen Eve and she was alive...even if he had seen her before Sven had his vision. He couldn't tell his friend that the story was a half fabricated lie...Eve caught him alright...but she didn't look away...he almost got caught—short of being killed—but his experience, agility, and a lot of luck saved him.

_Princess...I really miss you..._

He stole a quick look at Sven. He was squinting his eyes against the sun, hangover still present—but he refused to let anyone else drive his car. Train scowled disapprovingly.

_He's still as stubborn as ever..._

Train notice how gaunt and wasted away he was now. His suit fit him a little looser around the shoulders and his belt was a notch or two higher than usual. He was the shell of what he once was. He remembered how much Sven struggled with the death of his partner Lloyd...especially since he blamed himself for what happened to him. Now that Eve was gone, the force of losing someone else must have been unbearable. Train remembered Saya...he was more of an optimist than Sven was...so as long as Eve was still kicking and breathing...he could deal with it because he had hope...with Sven, it was different.

_This year hasn't been kind to him Princess...he needs you...he's been a wreck without you. _

Nothing could be said between them now...all that needed to be said had been said. Well, everything except for Sven's vision—which Train was sure he'd tell when he was ready.

Now, they were on the way to Tearju's base with a few sweeper friends that had joined their cause once again. Since her home was too small to house all the people who were helping now, they went to her property in the country, just outside of the city limits. There would be some good news...the tone of her voice was lighter than it had been in the past. For Sven's sake at least, he hoped there was more good then bad...

* * *

_One year earlier, flashback._

Train stood in front of Eve...watching her as she tried to compose herself. He heard her gasp moments before—and he heard her stumble away. He might have not noticed she was there at all if she had kept her cover under wraps. A removed part of him applauded her progress in training. Snowflakes fluttered around her as the wind picked up. Her skin was white, like the snow that surrounded her.

"Don't tell Sven."

He saw tears form at the corners of her eyes, even from where he stood. Train looked at her apathetically, though it was the last thing he felt. His own stomach turned at watching her act this way. The always put together, always passive Eve had lost her composure—and it was the worst thing he'd ever seen. He was distracted from his thoughts when he saw her hand buried deep into her pajama pant pocket, searching for something. Eve pulled out a fist, held it before him, and opened it.

In her small palm was the "wish paper" Train had given her for Christmas. For lack of a better present, he promised her that he would give her that paper as promise to name a gift of her choice later on. The paper was crinkled, as if it had been in the wash. He realized that the pajamas she had on must have been the same ones she wore Christmas morning.

She presented it to him in desperation...so he wouldn't have been able to tell Sven even if he had wanted to.

It broke his heart.

He smiled wryly.

"You know I hate seeing girls cry."

It was all he said, but she knew he wouldn't say a word. Relieved, she slumped against the tree again. Her arms and legs were shaky, but she would be able to walk home—slowly but surely. She was interrupted from her self assessment by a slight weight on her shoulders. She looked up to see Train standing in front of her without his trademark jacket. Glancing down, Eve saw that it was covering her now, quite big, but warm and comforting.

"Thank you," she murmured.

He said nothing and picked her up.

"Where—what are you doing?!" she said in panic as she grabbed at his shoulders to steady herself.

"I'm taking you home."

She could not argue with his tone of voice. That was a new one for her—he'd never spoken to her that way before. It was respectful, but stern, and...sad.

She nodded against his neck and he ran, jumping over rooftops and alleys to the quickest way back.

* * *

Rin's breaths came out in short gasps as she hurried to warn Jenos and the boys--or better yet—to stop Eve. Rins had hung up with Jenos moments before because the connection was too weak and she couldn't get through long enough to tell him anything. Since he had been the one to drop her off at Sven's, she had no choice but to take the forty minute walk there. Her short hair bounced as she turned a corner abruptly. She hugged her fur coat around her petite form, feeling the chill even through the thick layers of her clothes.

_Oh Eve, I hope I'm not too late..._

She figured that Eve would have to find out eventually, but this way was too cruel...she should be told by someone who loved her...with care and reassurance...

As they neared their street, Train saw a figure trotting briskly towards their direction. On closer inspection, he realized it was Rinslet, and he jumped down from where he had paused to intercept her. Her thoughts were interrupted as she almost collided with the two.

She had to swallow the scream that nearly erupted from her throat. It was still very early in the morning, and the last thing they needed was a whole mob of hungover holiday celebrators to throw insults from their windows.

"Train! What's wrong with you? I'd expect you to have better landing skills..." her voice died as she recognized the bundle in his arms.

"Can you take her home?" he asked—his look said it all—Eve must have heard everything at the meeting with Tearju.

She nodded dumbly—fighting tears as she helped Eve stand.

Seeing she was settled, Train turned.

"Train."

He glanced over his shoulder to see Eve standing by herself proudly, wobbling on her own two feet with his jacket in her hands. She tossed it shakily to him and he caught it with ease.

"It's better if you take that with you."

Train paused and nodded once, jumping back up to the rooftops to find a quicker path back.

* * *

Rin's key's jingled as she unlocked the door. Slowly, it creaked open and she entered with Eve, who had accepted her help halfway there. The only tell tale signs of her remaining shock were the strong pressure of her right hand in Rinslet's left and her unresponsive eyes. Butting the door closed, Rins led Eve silently to the couch and sat beside her. She'd been sharing her fur coat with her on the way back, but now it was cast aside. It was warm in the house—Rins had made sure of that if she was going to spend the night there. Sven could deal with the monetary splurge of having heat for a few days.

"Do you want something hot to drink Eve? You look so pale," Rinslet's hand grazed Eve's cheek and rested on her forehead.

Eve leaned into her touch wordlessly, eyes downcast. Her body was trembling. Rins faltered at seeing Eve's vulnerability...but she soon recovered, encasing her in a fierce embrace. The longer Rins held on, the more tears ran down her cheeks until sobs raked her body and she began to cry for them both.

"Eve...oh Eve..." she whispered, repeating Eve's name like a prayer, until they had both—exhausted beyond consciousness—fallen asleep in each other's arms.

* * *

There really were few things that could make Sven angry. Talking about Eve like she was some sort of monster was one of them.

He moodily took a long drag from his cigarette. He didn't really know why he was so overprotective of her. He'd never been that way with anyone else he'd known, despite the fact that she could take care of herself...Sven trained her rigorously enough to make certain of that. But he always remembered that day he first met her...she was by the pigeons at a fountain in the park. She was just staring at them...like she wanted to be oneof them. She wanted to belong to something but at the same time, she wanted the liberty to be free.

Train descended the stairs to Tearju's basement distractedly, hands in his pockets. He thought of Eve. Briefly, he dwelled on what might happen...what life would be like without her—but the thought left him uneasy—so he quickly moved on to another.

Though there was always a sort of rivalry she set between them for the number one place in Sven's partnership, he knew that she considered herself part of a team. She helped with whatever she could without complaint. Well, she might complain a little if it was to help Train, but that was just Eve—he wouldn't have it any other way...

"That was a long bathroom break."

Train looked up to see Sven leaning against the fridge. Train's answer was to sit on the last step in feigned ignorance.

"You had to take your jacket off to go?"

Train hadn't noticed his jacket was thrown over one shoulder—he had been so lost in his thought that he forgot to wear it properly again.

"I got hot in the potty-room babycakes. Is that a problem?"

Sven shook his head.

"Not at all...its just that its not like you to take long bathroom breaks and come back looking like you took a frosty jog around the block."

He motioned towards Train's feet.

_Shit._

Train's boots were glistening from the gray icy sludge outside. Carrying Eve's extra weight made him sink a little deeper than he expected on the blanketing layer of snow outside. The last time he _really_ carried her, she was only a child...

_Damn...I must be losing m__y edge...I shouldn't have missed that..._

Train sighed. He didn't usually lie to his partner. He slouched back uncomfortably.

"Sven..."

Sven raised his eyebrows expectantly.

"Lay off."

Sven put up his hands in defeat and shrugged, but there remained a misgiving glint in his eyes. He was suspicious of Train, and he knew he was hiding something...but he wouldn't question him. He never did. Train at least, was thankful for that.

Tearju mindlessly watched Sven and Train's discussion from a corner of the room. She needed to take a respite after their intense discussion. She had anticipated something of the sort, but her expectations fell short. She figured there wasn't much more to say except for the subject about a cure...one that she hadn't discovered yet. She had only just contrived a way to neutralize the growth effects of the chip...but that only lasted for a few weeks at most...it would have to be re-injected in her system before the end of every month.

"We have a few more things to discuss, and then you two may leave."

Train and Sven regarded Tearju from where they sat. They were all ears.

* * *

Jenos was out in the hallway on the first floor. He had tried to call Rins again, but all he was getting was her voice mail—not even a ring. Frustrated, he flipped his cell closed. The reception was bad and there was no hope of getting through to her. He hoped it wasn't anything too urgent...

* * *

Eve's eyes fluttered and her heart beat rapidly—her lungs fought for breath as her fingernails dug into the palms of her hands.

_Darkness..._

_A canine, hungry smile flashed, then disappeared._

_Heat..it was unbearable. She felt it in her veins, in the very core of her being...she panted with the force of it. She felt...a sickening desire...and saw a man crouching over her._

"_They won't save you."_

_She looked down to see her belly growing, and then her body transforming into veins, arteries...the realization suddenly dawned on her that she was transforming into a human heart. It was horrifying to see herself transform into something so raw..._

_She felt herself rise into the air and below her there were small figures swarming to and fro. Among them were a few she recognized. Rins, Jenos, Train, Annette and Sven...they were watching in faces of fear, disgust, horror...sadness. _

"_Don't watch..." she whispered—suddenly afraid. _

"_Don't! Don't look at me!" she exclaimed as their eyes bore into her, threatening to destroy her...to stop her self-made invasion. And she knew the only way to stop her...was to kill her. They'd save the world if she ceased to exist._

_She lashed out unthinking, and realized what she had done only after it was too late. Their crumpled bodies littered the floor. There were no survivors._

Eve woke with a start. Breathing hard, she put a hand to her chest to steady her pounding heart. She could hear Rins breathing softly to her left. She had brought so much comfort to her...Eve was grateful.

Feeling her body beginning to normalize, she groaned tiredly.

_I can't even find peace in sleep._

"Why...Why am I such a monster?" she whispered.

She thought of a book she read long ago..but it stuck with her all these years. The book was called Frankenstein. It was written by a British author...Mary Shelley. She was like the monster...the monster that committed so many sins—but in the end, all he wanted was peace. All he wanted was to belong. Eve knew they were different in many ways, but they shared enough similarities to make her uncomfortable.

* * *

After a quick farewell from Jenos, Sven and Train were almost as quiet on the way home as they were on the way there. Tearju had given them syringes filled with a serum to hold off Eve's growth, saying that at present there was no way to terminate the process completely. Their only fear was Tearju's confession that there was always a chance she could acquire an immunity to it later on. There was no guarantee how long that would be.

_I'm a Barbie Girl, in a Barbie World...Life in plastic, it's—!_ Sven glared at Train—who flashed him an innocent smile—and answered his cell phone.

"Yeah?" Sven answered gruffly. "Oh hey Annette...Sure...yeah we're free. Sounds good. We'll be there...Great. Okay...Uh huh, I'll tell Rins. I'll see you then...Bye."

Sven ended the call.

"Annie just invited us to her New Year's Party. She's just inviting a few close friends, and she wants me to invite Rins for her."

Train cocked his head to the side mischievously.

"How 'bout we say we invited Rins, and don't?"

Sven chuckled.

"You know Annette would double check just for spite, and then there'd be two angry, vindictive women to deal with on New Year's."

"Yeah, I know...but it might be worth the fun..."

"No. It's not. Because I'm the messenger, not you. I'd be punished, and you'd watch it all comfortably from a safe distance."

"Exactly."

Sven rolled his eyes.

"Why do I keep you around?"

"Because of my charm and good looks," Train replied, running a hand through his brown hair.

Sven ignored him, and Train let a long breath. He immediately knew what Sven was thinking about.

"When are you going to tell her?" he asked, suddenly gripping the foam coated briefcase of medicine. He wanted Sven to know that Eve already knew—and short of telling him himself, Sven confessing the truth to Eve was the next best thing. If it was out in the open, it would take a big weight off his shoulders.

Sven sighed.

"I don't know Train...I just need to figure out a way to break it to her."

Train loosened his grip on his cargo and nodded. He knew Eve wouldn't want to tell Sven that she had heard Tearju's confession about her future-she'd think it'd worry him too much. If Sven took the initiative to begin the discussion and lay it out in the open, there'd be no need to hide anything on either side.

"Just make it soon. She'd want to hear it from you and no one else."

Train and Sven entered the house to find it open. They saw Rins on the couch with a blanket covering her, and later found Eve in Sven's. They soon noticed that the nightmares did not occur in his room, so at his insistence, Eve slept in Sven's room, Rins slept in Eve's, and Sven slept on the couch. Nothing on Earth could get Train to share his room...

* * *

The next few days passed without precedence, but there was a prevailing gloom that had settled on their home like gray dust. The best they could do was to continue acting as routinely as possible given the circumstances. The only thing that lifted their spirits was that it was soon time for Annette's party...which meant a celebration for everyone...specifically through shopping for Rins (and Eve by default). Rins had already bought her a dress for Christmas, but it was unsuitable for a formal event—as it was meant to be worn in the coming spring season.

"Doesn't she look great?"

Rins turned an embarrassed, but glowing Eve in a small circle.

A matte black, form fitting silk dress with a back that dipped dangerously low and a front with a teasing, but tasteful view of her "assets" graced her small figure. It was just above the knees in length, and loosely flared out at the hips. Elegant black thin heeled matte open toed pumps with silver trimming adorned her feet. She held a silver leather clutch in her hands to complete the outfit. She left her hair down, and it cascaded down her shoulders, giving off a golden luminescence to her skin.

"Eh whatever..Eve is Eve..." Train said, sinking down into his favorite chair. Eve's eyes glowed vengefully. She formed a mallet behind her back.

"Don't be ridiculous Train. She looks really nice," replied Sven, turning away from Eve.

Eve blushed a lovely shade of pink, mallet forgotten.

"We're going to have to keep the boys off with sticks tonight baby girl!" Rins laughed and Eve giggled nervously. She never dressed like this...and the outfit was expensive...but Rins had no scruples about buying it—in fact—she was even more adamant about the purchase when she caught Eve discreetly eying the price tag, ready to put it back. Despite it all, she was again thankful that Rins was with her after all that had happened...it kept her mind off things.

She smiled wanly. The boys were dressed in suits...well, sort of. Train refused to wear his entire suit, opting for a white button down shirt with a very loosely knotted black tie and black pants and shoes. That was a hard task to accomplish in of itself...it took a lot of convincing on the girls' part. Sven, on the other hand, _liked_ dressing to impress. He wore black on black. A lime green satin tie peeked out from under his suit jacket and a black hat was tilted slightly at an angle on his head. Rins wore red, low cut and form fitting. Annette wasn't usually one to host formal New Year's parties, but this one was a special occasion. There were sweepers from all over coming to this one...people that Eve hadn't seen in years. And though Eve and the gang were troubled from everything that had been happening lately, they tried to forget it to enjoy this one night.

Rins left earlier than the rest—Jenos picked her up on their way to buy some last minute items for Annette's party.

"Hey guys, I know its cold out, but its nice outside. Do you mind walking?"

Train rolled his eyes.

"The car's broken down again hasn't it?"

Sven made a face.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Eve came inside from walking Rins to Jenos' car.

"Why is there smoke coming out of the engine?"

She pointed to their garage.

Train put a fist on his hip.

"Yeah Sven, why is there smoke coming out of the engine?"

"Because it broke down! Satisfied??" Sven took the wrench that he was hiding from out of his pocket and tossed it on the kitchen table. His aim was off. The wrench clattered across the surface and hit the floor.

Eve bent over and picked it up.

"I can fix it Sven."

Train's face lit up.

Sven shook his head.

"No. As a gentleman I can't have you do that. You shouldn't get dirty after getting so dressed up anyway. Plus, the snow's melted, so the walk there won't be bad..."

Train frowned.

"In theory, you'd be more of a gentleman if you didn't make her walk there..." he mumbled.

"I don't mind walking," interjected Eve.

Train put his hands in his pockets grumpily. He hated the cold.

"Next winter, I'm going to Tahiti."

The three walked to Annette's and arrived within twenty minutes to Annette's Cafe Cait Sith. Train was the first to enter and was attacked by what seemed to be a black boulder.

"Mr. Black Cat!!"

Train grunted in reply, wriggling out of former Black Cat impersonator Woodney's grasp like a kitten out of a toddler's gripping hands.

"Aww he missed you Train..." Sven said as he held the door open for Eve.

Train shot him a murderous look and turned his attention to the massive man that had held him captive.

"Train...you know the name's Train. How many years has it been of my refreshing your memory?"

"Oh I'm sorry, I'm sorry big brother. I'm just a bit forgetful is all."

Train heard soft laughter and looked to his left. Sephiria Arks stood with Belze a ways behind her, observing the interaction between the two.

"Sephie!!" Train called, turning his back on Woodney.

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Sephiria knew he had picked up on that terrible nickname from Jenos, former Chronos number seven. She should have expected that they'd get along rather well since—number wise—they were a bit interrelated. Train was unlucky thirteen, and Jenos was lucky number seven. Lost in all her thoughts, she didn't realize that Train had quickly closed the distance between them—lifting her in a suffocating hug.

"I wonder where the other guy gets it from..." Belze said under his breath sarcastically.

"Train...if you do not release me this instant, I will be forced to use my Christ blade on you," Sephiria choked out as his embrace left her breathless.

Train smirked and put her down.

"Sorry, I suddenly got cheerful. How do you feel about drinking a cold one with me? Its been so long."

Sephiria tilted her head to the side and allowed a smile to grace her fair features.

"That doesn't sound like such a bad idea."

They were followed to the bar by Belze and Woodney.

"Bartender! I want four glasses of cold milk!"

Sephiria sighed.

"Milk wasn't really what I had in mind."

Belze and Woodney nodded in understanding.

* * *

Sven and Eve were directly met by Annette.

"Hey you two."

Sven grinned.

"Hey yourself Annette. You clean up nice."

Annette wore her hair loose, and black dress pants with a flattering white blouse.

"Yeah, well your compliment won't get you free food, so quit trying."

Sven let out a half suppressed chuckle.

"You caught me."

Annette reprovingly shook her head at him, and turned her attentions to Eve.

"Oh...You look lovely Eve."

Her eyes twinkled knowingly.

"You went shopping with that no good thief-for-hire didn't you?"

Eve nodded, half smiling.

"Rins likes it."

Annette raised her eyebrows.

"I see that. Well...the way I see her spend her money so stupidly...at least she's investing it in a good girl—woman—" she corrected herself. "Like you."

Eve blushed, about to respond when another's voice beat her to it.

"At least! I know how to spend my money!! I spend it better than most people around!"

Rins stormed in with Jenos trailing her. His only discernible feature was the jet black hair sticking out from under the packages he held.

"When you said a _few_ things, I had no idea I'd end up like this!" came his muffled expression of disgust from under the bags and boxes he held.

She ignored him.

"If I didn't know how to spend my money, I wouldn't have gotten you such good deals for New Year's party favors!"

"I didn't ask you for party favors Rinslet. I asked you todo me the_ favor_ of getting extra paper plates and plastic forks for the _party,_" Annette replied stoically. Somehow, she had anticipated this.

Rins threw her hands up in exasperation.

"Ugh whatever! This is the thanks I get...really...this is ridiculous."

Jenos followed her to the back room with some difficulty, managing to trip as soon as he entered. The whole party heard his crash with the kitchenware.

Annette sighed.

"I better go to see what kind of damage they've inflicted on my shop..."

She smiled at Eve and Sven.

"Enjoy yourselves. We'll all be right out to count down the year together before you know it."

She left. They heard her in the back room with Rinslet scolding Jenos for being so clumsy.

"Poor Jenos," murmured Sven.

Eve nodded sympathetically.

* * *

The room soon filled with familiar faces, among them, Kevin McDougall, Touma Fudou, Silphy and many others belonging to the old sweeper alliance that later helped save Eve during the Eden project outbreak. There were also Chronos numbers present besides Sephiria, Jenos, and Belze, Number Ten, Lin Shaolee and Number Six—the only Number who was not human—the black wolf with an orichalcum tail, Anubis. River, another sweeper, arrived late—but had incited a fierce drinking competition with Train. Half of the party-goers crowded on the bar side watching in astonishment at the amount of liquor they were imbibing (River and Train played "Rock, Paper, Scissors" to decide between alcohol and milk. Needless to say, River won).

Rins came from the back door and spotted Eve sitting at the bar drinking a virgin Shirley Temple.

"EVE!!" she cried happily as she greeted her with a raised hand.

Eve smiled.

"How's Uncle Jenos?" she asked with a grin.

"Oh, he's back there somewhere, licking his wounds," she said, shrugging off the subject.

A quick techno beat hit the dance floor.

Rins gasped grabbing Eve's hand.

"Let's dance kiddo! I love this song!"

Before she had a chance to reply, Rins took Eve to the center of the dance floor. Beside herself, Eve giggled as Rins closed her eyes and hummed to the beat. Soon, she joined her, fighting her initial reluctance. Before they knew it, they were joined by a few others and soon a crowd was dancing. Eventually, the song ended, and a romantic slow song played. A few groaned at the "sappy" song and walked off. Rins and Eve were about to do the same when Jenos appeared from nowhere and took Rins by the hand.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to sit down," Rins replied nonchalantly.

"Dance with me," he commanded, twirling her around.

Rins fought to keep from dizzying herself.

"No. I'll pass."

She pulled her hand out of his and took Eve's instead.

_God, I love to chase this woman._ He thought as he awarded her back with a dopey smile.

Jenos fell to his knees and reached out for her.

"Please, Rinslet, Please!" he wailed as he locked himself to her legs. She almost tripped.

"Jenos!"

"Please! I'll die if you don't dance with me!!"

Half the room turned around to the scene he was making.

"Ugh!!" Rins blushed. "I'll dance with you if you stop this right NOW," she whispered harshly.

Eve laughed in her hand and sat down at the bar as Rins detached Jenos from her legs. She looked apologetically in Eve's direction. Eve shook her head and waved her off. Rins nodded, grinning, and started dancing with Jenos.

* * *

As things calmed down on the dance floor, they flared up at the bar. Sven sat at a safe enough distance from Train and River's competition as they threw bottle after bottle recklessly to the side after ridding them of their contents. Jenos and Rins were dancing together—they had forgotten their earlier dispute and were whispering to each other and laughing softly. He leaned back and lit a cigarette, puffing out the smoke lazily. Annette had Jazz playing in the background, and he listened intently, filtering it through the noise of the crowd chanting near him.

"Hey old man—"

Sven turned to his left, irritated at the joke made at his age's expense. Silphy stood beside him, wearing a brilliant green dress that brought out the green in her hazel eyes. She rested her hands on her hips, and her head was cocked to the side mischievously.

"I am_ not_ o—"

"Wanna dance?" she interrupted, holding out her hand, laughter in her eyes.

He was surprised, but he stood slowly and took her hand.

"Well...I'm not the kind of gentleman who declines the offers of attractive ladies."

Silphy pursed her lips.

"No kind of man, gentleman or not, is likely to decline an offer from an attractive lady."

Sven opened his mouth in retaliation—but closed it abruptly—finding for a second time that week a woman's response he could not sufficiently counter.

* * *

Eve was one of the many who witnessed the competition between River and Train. It was going to be midnight soon, and their countdown was closing in on them. She hoped they'd finish before then—though both already looked likely to end the race. She turned on her barstool to see what was going on in the other side of the room. She spotted two couples dancing. Eve grinned when she saw Jenos and Rins dancing closely. She loved to see them acting so romantically into each other. There was something about seeing them so serious about each other that made her heart fill with happiness—and maybe twist with a little good-natured jealousy. Her eyes traveled to the next couple. She did a little double take when she saw Sven dancing with Silphy...She was chortling as he said something seriously. He gave her a funny look and joined her laughter.

"They look kinda nice together," Belze commented, nodding his head towards to the couples. "Makes a guy wanna join them." He glanced at Sephiria—who had begun to outwardly show the effects of the alcohol in her system. She was chanting happily with the rest of the crowd as the two competitors fought for their number one rank.

Eve nodded. She had to admit that the woman in Sven's arms was beautiful.

The bar suddenly let out a loud cheer—by Train's cranky demeanor and River's sickly face—she determined that River had won. Eve glanced back at the couples dancing on the floor and gasped at what she saw. Sven and Silphy were kissing.

"I can't breathe," she whispered, gripping her chest.

No one heard her above the cries of the crowd beside them.

She shut her eyes tight and hurriedly turned to leave.

* * *

The two danced together slowly under the glow of the dimly lit room.

"Remember that time you saved me Sven? At the battle outside Creed's castle?...I'll never forget it."

"Oh yeah?" Sven replied with a grin.

Silphy nodded.

"I wanted to kick your ass."

Sven opened his eyes wide.

"W-Why??"

Silphy laughed.

"Because I was mad that I couldn't take care of myself against that guy, and then, you had to step in with all those gentlemanly virtues...and well...you ruined my chance of proving myself."

Sven grimaced.

"I'm sorry...it just looked like you didn't have a choice."

He turned with her on the dance floor.

"That's just it Sven...despite what I _wished_ I could do...I didn't have a choice. You saved my life."

She paused.

"So after all these years of not seeing each other, I wanted to give you a belated thank you..."

Silphy smiled and kissed him briefly on the lips.

"Thanks."

Sven blushed fiercely.

She tilted her head to the side, amused.

"You know, I always kinda had a crush on you."

Sven's blush turned a deeper shade of red.

"HEEY...What're ya doin' with my womaaannn?"

They both looked to their right to see River wobbling towards them.

Sven held up his hands.

"Uh..I'm not..I didn't...she isn't my..."

"Your woman?" Silphy growled.

"Yeeess!! My womaaann!" he drawled out drunkenly.

Jenos and Rins stopped dancing and goaded him on from the sidelines.

"Whew! Yeah! Go get her!" they laughed throwing up their hands in the air.

Silphy also stopped dancing and stormed up to River.

"I wanted to have a dance partner and have a good time, but NO! You were too busy drinking away in that stupid competition! Why don't you just date Train?! You sure were more excited to beat him than dance with me anyway! And now...now you're too drunk to do anything! AAAANNDDD...I am NOT your WOMAN!"

"Not true!" River shook his head stubbornly. "P-plus I'm hap-ppy you're mmy date! And I can dance!"

River stuck his tongue out as he stood still and concentrated on wiggling his hips.

He looked so silly that Silphy's anger melted away and a giggle rose in its place.

River's dancing took its toll on him, however, as he turned an unsightly shade of green. He stopped, putting a hand to his forehead, and leaned on a chair.

Silphy sighed and rolled her eyes. Fortunately for him, that little dance was so damn cute.

"Come on baby, I'll rub your back till you feel better," she said as she shouldered him to a seat in a corner.

"Okaay..." He responded childishly as he leaned on her. He rubbed his face in her short hair.

"Mmmm...you smell nice..."

"Yeah yeah..."

Sven smiled as he saw the couple sit together. Who knew they'd be going out after all these years? Silphy sure had a unique way of showing gratitude. He grinned. That woman didn't like to owe anyone _anything._

Another song came on. He reasoned that since he was already on the dance floor—he could dance with Eve. Sven looked around, but he couldn't find her. He didn't think anything was really out of the ordinary until he noticed the time. It was only a few minutes till midnight. She never, in any New Year's Celebration they'd ever been to, missed a countdown. Curiously, he walked towards the back room when he was interrupted by Jenos.

"What's with the face Sven? You look kinda anxious."

Sven glanced at the back door.

"Yeah...uh, I can't find Eve. I figured she'd be around since its almost time for the New Year's countdown, but I don't see her."

Jenos put a hand on his shoulder.

"Well I'll help you look."

Sven nodded and they went together to look after her whereabouts.

* * *

A panting Eve opened the back door that led to the alley as strange thoughts invaded her mind. Memories of the past few years-happy memories washed in and out like waves. She shut her eyes tight. Remembering would hurt more. Remembering would remind her how much she loved living, and to have the strength do the necessary when the time came...she could not allow herself the luxury.

And then that kiss flashed before her eyes again...seeing that kiss felt like a hot knife had entered her. How...how could it have happened? He wasn't one to just kiss women without warning...She shook her head. That was of little importance. Why should she worry about Sven kissing another woman when she had to worry about a way to save the world from...of all people...herself?

_How else can I stop this? _She thought, fingering the lace on her dress.

She breathed deeply as she tilted her head towards the clear starry sky overhead.

"You can't."

Eve's heart stopped. Slowly, she turned her head.

In a corner of the dead end alley, in the shadows, stood a figure.

"Excuse me?" Eve asked, startled.

"You can't stop it. You will die."

Eve's heart beat erratically as fear exploded into her bloodstream. She looked at the exit sign. If she could make it to that door...Sven and Train were just beyond it. Safety was just a few steps away.

"They won't save you Eve."

The man's teeth gleamed from the darkness as he caught her eyes.

"Not this time."

* * *

**Next Chapter:** _What happens at the New Year's party? We'll soon find out on this extended chapter!!_


	5. When Eve Bit the Apple

**Quick Author's Note:** _Okay this is the second part of a very long chapter that I split in two. Enjoy. By the way, thanks to Victrov and Shadowfire125 for their reviews. I am sorry for the late mention, but I always forget. Now I remembered. :-/ ...but I really appreciate them so very much!! Thank you!_

* * *

**When Eve Bit the Apple**

_And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat._

_Genesis 3: 6_

-

Annette saw Eve walk by when she was in the back room-but she had disappeared suddenly. There were only a few minutes left and she wanted to congregate everyone on the main floor. She was about to step out of her office when she was met by Rins.

"Have you seen Eve?"

"No..." she responded. "You haven't seen her?"

"I did earlier, but its almost twelve and she isn't here. Hmm..I wonder what's wrong with her? She hasn't looked herself lately," Annette wondered out loud. "In fact, is it just me? Or has everyone seemed a little off? Not really depressed...but not really happy either..."

Annette shook her head and was about to shrug it off when she noticed Rin's teary eyes.

"What is it?" Annette asked, alarmed.

Rins bit her bottom lip and shook her head. She shut her eyes and tears started to spill.

"Rinslet...you know something..." she said gripping her shoulders and shaking her a little. "Tell me what it is!"

"I can't!" she cried suddenly...falling to the floor at Annette's feet. "I can't..." her voice turned into a whisper.

"Rins!" Annette exclaimed at the breaking down woman. "If something's going on, I need to know. I love that girl as if she were my own daughter!"

Tears fell freely from Rins face.

"...Its Eve..." she finally confessed as she wept. "They've...we've all been trying to act normal...but its just...so damn sad..."

"What? What's sad?"

"Tearju found another doomsday chip in her. She says that the first one was nothing compared to this...she said that if we let Eve reach adulthood-that she'd...she'd end the world!"

"N-No..." A wide eyed Anette slowly knelt on the floor to keep from collapsing from shock.

Rins went on in a shaky voice. "Tearju's trying to find a cure, but she hasn't had any real results yet. She says that all Eve needs is a trigger to begin the process. Once that happens, she'll be a self sufficient weapon..."

Annette made a fist and banged it against the wall.

"That's insane! Eve would never..."

Annette's heart pounded. She looked earnestly into Rinslet's eyes.

"Does...does she know?"

Rinslet covered her mouth, choking back a sudden sob and nodded.

* * *

Eve willed herself to find her courage. She was exceptionally well trained in combat...she'd defeated countless of criminals and knew she could defend herself well. But, something about this man disturbed her. She had never been this intolerably afraid in battle before...not even when she was a child.

As if out of its own accord, her left arm took the form of a shield. The other took the form of a blade.

"Who are you?"

The man stepped into the light. A black body suit hugged his muscular form and a black cape hung limply down his back. Long, blonde hair came down in subtle waves past his shoulders. His eyes were dark, bottomless.

"I am the man that no one will remember."

He walked steadily towards her.

"I am your Adam."

Distress wrenched Eve's memory into the past. Her hand transformed into a gun.

"Leave me alone."

The man ignored her command.

Eve aimed, her finger pressured the trigger.

Suddenly she was being held between a hard wall and body-the chill that permeated her skin from the stone behind her met at her core as the heat that radiated off of the strange man sunk heavily inside her.

"When the world is renewed, no one will remember me. No one but you."

The hands resting at her side formed into steel hammers and struck mercilessly at him. When her hands came into contact with his body, however, they reverted back to their natural state and landed in useless fists at his ribs. He smiled condescendingly.

"Unfortunately your blossoming stage cannot begin by anyone's hands other than yours, but I will help you achieve this goal much more quickly."

He placed his hands around her neck and head. Eve struggled violently, but she was forced in place by an iron grip and her powers were useless against him.

Her heart pounded violently in her ears as his eyes searched hers. He shifted slightly.

Without warning, his lips crashed against hers viciously. Eve's struggle renewed with vigor, but just as quickly, stopped as he released his hold. She went limp and fell. The cold, damp ground slowly seeped into her numbed body while the footsteps of the retreating figure escaped her range of hearing.

A few moments passed by in what seemed like centuries...but she soon heard the creak of metal break the silence. Yellow light streamed from the open back door of the cafe.

"Eve!!" Sven's voice reached her ears as her eyelids dropped heavily.

The sound of footsteps drew nearer to her prostrate figure and she was shaken out of her lethargy by Sven's strong hands. Jenos stood beside him, silently evaluating Eve's condition.

Eve breathed deeply and looked into his face. His mismatching light eyes were shadowed with concern, his jaw was tense, and his hair grazed her face and tickled her skin as he made sure she had no concussion. Despite all his worry, the only thing she could think about was that he'd forgotten to put on his eye patch today.

"I'm fine," she said suddenly, her voice soft.

"What happened Eve? We turned around and you were gone. Then we come out here to look for you and you're passed out on the ground," Jenos said, leaning over them.

When she refused to answer, Sven spoke.

"Do you really feel okay?" he asked, still looking her over.

"I'm fine," she repeated, and slowly moved away to stand.

She stumbled, but leaned on the wall beside her and steadied herself in time.

"Lets go home..." said Sven quietly. "I'll make dinner there."

"No." Eve's voice was firm. "I want to stay."

Sven and Jenos exchanged hesitant glances.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," answered Eve, walking to the door. At the entrance, she paused.

"Don't worry about me," she said, and disappeared inside.

* * *

"Well? How did it go?" a raspy voice asked-the owner a short old man with a cruelly bent back.

"Fine," the mysterious figure with blonde hair answered.

"That's it? No juicy details for your humble servant?"

One look from the tall, handsome man silenced the old crippled ghost of a human.

He peered out to the city from the water-tower which he stood. It was the perfect location to keep an eye on everything.

_Now that I've touched her, she'll awaken within the next twenty-four hours._

The corners of his mouth upturned wickedly.

The nanomachines he injected in her body through that kiss would put her in his complete control. He'd been monitoring her closely...if her sexual maturity had been behind-well-he'd just have to help it along.

He closed his eyes and was able to see what she saw...her vision was blurred, but focused to reveal two mismatching eyes. He knew them well...Sven Vollfied. He had been under surveillance for a many years. He was Eve's greatest weakness-and conveniently, she was also his.

_I'll have them all in my trap soon enough..._

* * *

It had been down to a tie between River and Train, until River took one last swig of his special concoction of "crunk juice." Thus, he won by a sip.

_What a lightweight..._ Train thought, grinning to himself.

Fate, or perhaps Train-who did not wish to spend the night looking down a toilet-was on River's side for the competition. Afterwards, however, River spent much of the night throwing up-repeating over and over for all to hear, "Who knew he could drink so much?!" Train, though red-cheeked, was in much better conditions drunk, and somehow made it to the roof in time for the New Year fireworks. He always watched the fireworks alone. They brought with them nostalgic memories of another life, long ago.

As soon as he reached the roof, he heard a rustle and a door open.

"Eve!"

His ears picked up Sven's voice. Astoundingly, Train sobered up and jumped to the edge of Annette's building, watching as Eve struggled on her feet...the discourse between her and Sven, and then...

"Don't worry about me."

Something was terribly wrong...but he couldn't place a finger on it. Eve...wasn't Eve...

The look on her face took him aback so much so that he decided to keep his distance. He could see that there were things she had to think about-he would not speak with her now. He backed away from the ledge slowly and turned to sit and lean against it. There would be much to contemplate while he awaited the fireworks.

* * *

"Annette," cried River in his drunkenness as she passed by the office on his way back from the restroom.

"Its time! For the countdooown," he drawled out at the last word, making a comical little figure as he pointed down to the ground and almost fell to his knees.

She couldn't control herself. An empty liquor bottle was sitting on the wall beside them and she threw it, narrowly missing his head.

"Leave me alone! Can't you see I'm busy?!" she cried, in half histeria.

River grabbed his chest as his heart beat rapidly against his ribcage.

"Geeze louiiise! Sorrrry sorry...I'll sllee you later..."

He wobbled away, humming "Jingle Bells" to himself.

"Ms. Annette."

The deep rumble of the wolf-Anubis-shook the small back room.

"Forgive me, but it is time to greet the New Year."

"Yeah, I'll be there soon..." she replied shakily, face hidden from view. Rins looked away, wiping her eyes with her hands. They were still kneeling on the floor next to each other.

A moment passed as he regarded the two women silently and deeply bowed his massive head.

"Excuse me ladies. The rest of us will wait in the main room. I will make certain that no one disturbs you any further."

"Thank you Anubis."

A little growl was his response as he walked away and closed the door gently with his orchicalcum tail.

* * *

"Ten!"

The room full of guests chanted with the television that blared with reporters and far away crowds counting along.

"Nine!"

Sephiria and Lin Shoalee (who happened to be wearing a lampshade on his head) jumped excitedly together with a semi-serious Belze beside them-they were the only two besides River and Train who drank alcohol in ridiculously copious amounts that night.

"Eight!"

Silphy and Woodney shouted excitedly together. Silphy was especially happy that River had stopped vomiting just in time for the New Year.

"Seven!"

Eve entered the room followed by Sven and Jenos. Jenos looked around for Rins among the familiar faces-but could not locate her.

"Six!"

Anubis padded to the bar, swishing his tail side to side.

"Five!"

Kevin McDougall, Tomoe, and a quite a few other sweepers took to betting who would get Sephiria's New Year's kiss.

"Four!"

River snored on the padded window seat.

"Three!"

Train sighed to himself contentedly as he heard the counting from below. He looked to the star-filled sky, preparing for fireworks.

"Two!!"

The tension in the room built to an enormous level. Annette and Rinslet entered the room suddenly-eyes and noses pink.

"ONE!! Happy New Year!!"

Lin grabbed Sephiria and threw his lampshade in the air dramatically as he dipped her and leaned in to kiss her lips. Belze intercepted at the last moment and pried Sephiria from his grasp. He held her close and kissed her instead. A pretty blush lit Sephiria's already reddened cheeks.

"Belzy..." she whispered, touching her lips.

The group of sweepers next to them went wild with laughter and mixed hollers of, "I won!" and "No way! I can't believe he did it!"

Jenos shaked Sven's hand and turned to finally find Rinslet, who clung to him as he kissed her.

Annette turned to hug Eve tenderly.

"I'm so proud of you," she whispered.

Eve, surprised, silently put her arms around Annette-who, after a few moments of contact, went to congratulate her other guests.

Eve walked to the window and saw the fireworks from where she stood. She knew Train was above them watching them as well.

"Happy New Year."

A soft, male voice intercepted her thoughts. Sven's reflection appeared on the glass before her. She turned.

"Happy New Year Sven."

He stepped slowly towards her and embraced her...the gentleness with which he held her left her breathless. An instant passed, but then, she too returned the embrace.

She thought of how happy he had made her all these years...and she was so grateful to him. She wanted him to be happy too...but she also realized..deep inside...that the man who had attacked her earlier would keep that from happening. He was a puzzle to her...there was evil and righteousness inside that man...she knew it...she knew it when they touched.

* * *

Sometime around two in the morning, most guests had gone home-the few remaining being Jenos, Rins, Train, Sven and Eve. River was so knocked out that no one could move him. It seemed that he might have to spend the night, until Anubis volunteered to take him to Silphy's car. He held River on his back with his powerful tail and placed him in the passenger's seat without a problem. Everyone amazed at his dexterity.

"We should go," said Jenos to a sleepy Rins.

"But-"

"We can check up on them tomorrow," he whispered so that no one would hear.

She nodded reluctantly and reached to squeeze Eve's hand.

"Goodnight Eve. Happy New Year."

Eve nodded.

"You too." She smiled. "Auntie Rins."

Rins gave an excited little squeal, and hugged her enthusiastically. Though she had always called herself "Auntie" jokingly...Rinslet had always desired that sort of close companionship offered from girly secrets and indulgences because she had no family aside from their band of makeshift sweepers and assassins...they were the only ones who had stuck with her-like it or not... This was Eve's way of letting her know she had acknowledged Rins place in their family from the beginning.

With shining eyes, she turned to go.

"Bye boys," Rins said to Train and Sven, who were lounging near the door. "Take care."

They nodded.

"You too."

Trains cheeks were still a little pink, but he was sober.

"Too bad you can't stay," he said cattily.

"Too bad you won't leave," she answered him with a smile and brushed him aside.

Jenos offered her his arm, and they said their goodbyes to Annette-who stood on the ledge seeing everyone off. When they had gone, Annette came inside.

"Everyone was a help before they left-so there isn't much to clean up. Make yourselves at home-stay for a little while longer. I'll be in my office if you need me."

"Are you sure you want to go to the back room now? Don't you want to stay here for a while?" Eve asked.

Annette patted her arm comfortingly.

"I'll be out soon. I just have to take care of some last minute things."

Eve nodded and watched Annette leave their trio alone.

"Well now that goodbyes are over, I'm goin' back up on the roof," Train said with a toothy yawn.

"Why?" Eve asked.

"Yeah, there's nothing else to see," Sven added.

Train shook his head.

"Not true. There's plenty to see," he replied cryptically.

He went to the mini fridge at the bar and grabbed a bottle of milk, leaving the room. They heard him clambering up the attic and finally to the roof.

Sven and Eve were left alone to the slow jazz music playing in the background, now set lower in volume inside the room.

Sven offered her his hand silently, and she accepted.

Sven hummed to the tune while they danced. He wanted so badly to know what was wrong with her...He'd seen her so aloof and dejected lately. She had tried to hide it, but he could see it in the little things...the way she spoke was softer, sadder...even the way she moved--it was like she was being held down by heavy weights... It tore him in two seeing her like that.

"_My funny valentine...sweet comic valentine...you make me smile with my heart..."_

"This is Ella Fitzgerald."

"How'd you know that?" Sven asked, surprised at Eve's observation.

"_Your looks are laughable, unphotographable...yet you're my favorite work of art..."_

"I know you like jazz, so I started listening to it out of curiosity. I like it a lot...she's one of my favorites..."

Sven smiled gently.

"Yeah, mine too."

They continued to dance in silence together. The lyrics were playfully sentimental and contrasted with the melancholy waltz in the number.

"_...But don't change a hair for me..not if you care for me...stay little valentine...stay!...Each day is valentine's day."_

Sven finished turning Eve in time with the song's ending. Her eyes were shining. His heart lurched. She looked so incredibly happy...

"I was really worried about you earlier," he said suddenly.

She looked at him.

"I'm sorry Sven...the last thing I wanted to do is worry you," she said, downcast.

He put a hand on her shoulder.

"I worry about you because I care about what happens to you."

She blushed and looked away. Her hands trembled.

"You might make Silphy jealous talking like that."

Eve cringed inwardly. She couldn't help bringing it up...the topic just burst out of her mouth...Eve knew she really had no right to make any claims on him. He didn't owe her any explanations...

Sven furrowed his eyebrows.

"Silphy?...Silphy asked me to dance with her. Then River came and..."

His voice died as realization hit him.

"Oh.." he breathed. "Eve...it wasn't like that."

Eve turned to walk away, but Sven's sudden grasp on her hand impeded any further movement.

"Eve."

She stopped but she didn't face him.

"She kissed me. That's all. She just wanted to...I don't know if you'd believe me if I told you. But its not like Silphy's your normal, average woman. You can't really expect her to act like one all the time."

Eve turned on her heel.

"Of course I'd believe you Sven. I believe everything you say-"

She paused, settling her outburst, and continued calmly.

"Because...you haven't ever lied to me..."

Sven heard the uncertainty in her voice. He put a hand to his chest.

"What reason do I have to lie to you? I've always, always told you the truth," his voice was soft and patient.

Her violet eyes shined with relief.

Suddenly, he felt guilty as he remembered that he had not been straightforward with her about her transformation.

"Eve...while we're on the subject of honesty...I've got something important I need to say to you..." he began.

Sven was interrupted by a whirring sound that emitted from her body. Eve felt light, like she was floating all of a sudden-and someone was taking over her body in her place.

"Eve?" she heard it in the back of her mind as she drifted away.

"Eve?!" Sven cried as she sank to the ground.

He hurriedly picked her up and laid her down on the covered window seat, long enough to hold her small frame of a body.

"What's wrong? Wake up!" he said, holding her face.

_I will take control of your body now, Eve._

"What?"

She was in a black void, and there stood a shadowy figure before her. The only source of light came from two little slits-opened like windows to the outside world. From them, she could see Sven's worried face.

_I will begin the stage of your blossoming tonight. You are taking too long, my love, and it has made me very impatient._

"You're not going to do anything with me," she said threateningly, prepared to charge at him.

He lifted a hand in the air, and she fell...as if he had struck her to the ground. She could not breathe.

_Remember that I have you in my control. This means that you can do nothing to stop me. You are in my realm and as such, you are powerless._

He lowered his hand, and she stood shakily. Before she realized it, he was standing right next her her.

One hand wandered on her hip and the other one traveled upwards along her side, nearing her breast.

_It is regrettable that your last stage can only be incited by yourself. I'd have you do this to me, but I can't very well be at two places at once, can I?_

She wrenched herself away from him, and he laughed cruelly.

_Please, begin. I'll be on the sidelines cheering you on. Of course...this will only bring you closer to me..._

He disappeared.

She knew the stage he spoke of was the last stage she had to pass before becoming a full fledged monster. She wouldn't let him win. She couldn't.

Eve revived to a very relieved Sven.

"I'm taking you to a doctor tomorrow. You passing out like this...its not normal."

He passed his hand over his eyes.

_It couldn't be that she's...reaching the Blossoming Stage..?_

Sven's heart beat a little faster as worry gripped at it. He remembered the medicine Tearju gave them...the retardant shots. If he gave her those, she might get better...

"I need to give you something to stop these blackouts Eve, but there's something I need to tell you first."

Eve yawned.

"You mean about me turning into some kind of apocalyptic weapon?"

Sven's eyes opened wide.

"Eve...how did you-you already knew?"

"I followed you to Tearju's. You were a little sloppy on the way there-you left a trail...and well, that car...It was easy really."

Sven looked hurt.

"Eve, I wanted to tell you..."

"It doesn't matter anymore Sven. I know now what I'm going to become. I've embraced it wholeheartedly."

"How can you say that?" whispered Sven. "You're not a monster Eve."

She smiled patronizingly.

"Really? I'm really not?"

Eve sat up and formed the very tips of her hair into hooks beyond Sven's line of vision. Before he knew it, Sven was sitting on the window seat, pinned back against the wood molding by her own transformed hair.

_Eve watched in horror as the things that came out of her mouth weren't her own words. As her actions toward Sven were not hers. She could feel the gripping control of that man that attacked her. She knew he had injected foreign nanomachines in her..she could sense them fighting her own..but as she tried to concentrate on eradicating them, she found that she couldn't. They were multiplying at astronomical levels. They were too much for her..._

Eve heard the voice of the sadistic man in her mind. She tried to stop him...but her hands disobeyed her.

_Touch him...you know he'll like it...you want him? Take him. He's yours...he's your toy. Do whatever you like with him. Burn him, hurt him, use him...you know he'll fall to your feet if you just ask._

Sven," she whispered, her soft voice contrasted with the vice-like grip she had on his hands and shoulders. She straddled his legs, her dress riding up higher on her thighs, and pulled away just enough to look at his face again.

_She could see from behind her mind's eye, that his five o clock shadow was still there as always, his dual colored eyes and green hair were unchanged. There was an extra wrinkle or two by his eyebrows-a sign of worry-and his smile lines had deepened slightly, attractively. Both frowns and laughter had been the cause of those. But he was still the same, still looked and smelled the same and his appeal had only grown. If anything, he was more a man than he was many years ago. He knew her likes and dislikes without asking her, though gentleman that he was, always did..._

"Eve, don't," he protested weakly.

Her response wasn't immediate. She moved her hands up to his neck.

"Don't what?"

_It was an act of disobedience. She would have never before thought of disobeying him, but tonight..._

Eve pressed herself closer to his body. The soft pressure she applied at his hips with her own elicited a soft groan from Sven. Finding new confidence, she smoothly took off his hat. His eyes opened wide, but his movements were slow and heavy against her restraints.

"Tell me Sven, what happens next?" she asked boldly, inches away from his face. His right eye, the green eye, focused by itself. His breath hitched in his throat as her lips closed the distance between them. Slowly, so slowly, she kissed him. His heart beat erratically as she weaved her hands through his hair and deepened their contact into a forceful open-mouthed kiss. She moved away from his mouth to litter him with kisses-moving to his cheek and down his jawline to the junction between his neck and his shoulder.

_Eve watched herself, far removed from the present--half horrified at her behavior. She had absolutely no control of her actions, but despite that, she could feel his skin at her fingertips, smell the cologne on his body, and taste the masculinity of him on her tongue. She had always been attracted to him...but she never thought she would act on it. Now that her actions were not her own...she stood at the precipice of indecision on whether to hate it or love it. She could see the effect she was having on Sven and though she hated that man for making her do this to him, she was...intrigued. It was undeniably her body that was affecting his body this way. And it wasn't only his body that was feeling the effects-hers was on fire, she felt as if all oxygen had escaped her system and there was only him to replace it...she was waiting...waiting for something she had never known._

She moved down, her hands roaming under his shirt, and placed a kiss on his lean, muscled chest for every button she unfastened. His breathing became more labored as her feverish kisses descended until they reached his navel. Her hands met his waist and her fingers started tracing lacy circles. Sven watched her with half-lidded eyes and jerked breathlessly as her blunt fingernails left trails that lit the nerve endings in his skin. He had no choice but to admit he could not deny her. He could never deny her anything...why would this be any different? He relied all these years on her integrity and goodness to not let that turn into a disadvantage for him.

"Sven..." she whispered as she fingered the waist of his pants.

Sven snapped back to attention with the sound of her voice.

"Eve, please. I-We can't..."

It was wrong...it _had_ to be. He was old enough to be her father. He was nineteen years her senior...it didn't matter that she had brought happiness into his life...There was still something wrong...

He began to fight harder against her clutches--when he had the vision.

She felt him go rigid with the force of it, and he sat there...one eye focused on her and the other...blank...focused on the future...

A few moments passed, and they were frozen together...unable to continue, unwilling to stop. He gasped, coming to.

"I saw you."

She gazed down at him curiously.

"I saw you," he began again, shuddering. "All of you."

It was with this confession that she felt the retreating control of the mysterious man. Eve felt his power relinquish its hold on her and released Sven from his restraints. Despite all she had done already, she could not refrain from holding his trembling form. She'd never seen him so shaken and it scared her.

She was bombarded with guilt...she should have been able to stop it. She should have been able to end the mind control induced by those foreign nanomachines that had invaded her system...

Could it be that part of her wanted it? Part of her wanted Sven's attentions, his response?

"I'm sorry Sven," she whispered as tears formed in her eyes. "I'm so sorry..."

Sven shook his head. He leaned into her, but aside from that, remained motionless with his arms at his sides.

"Don't--Eve...It's my fault..." he said against her skin. She looked down at him, stunned. "Listen, I promise...I promise that no matter what happens, I'll protect you. I swear to you that what they say...won't happen..."

"Sven--" she began.

They heard steps coming downstairs. Eve removed herself from their compromising position and smoothed down her dress. Sven sat up and buttoned his shirt, while looking towards the direction of the noise. They collected themselves just in time for Train to enter through from the back door.

"So...I finished my milk. Wanna go?"

Train held an empty bottle in his hands.

"Yeah, I guess," Sven answered, standing. "We should say goodbye to Annette."

They followed him to Annette's office. She sat at her chair—lost in thought. A small little piece of jewelry glittered in her right hand and a glass of wine was lifted in her left. The jewel had been handed down to her from her grandmother to her mother to herself. Since she didn't have any children, she was going to give it to Eve..but she was waiting for a special occasion... Grim thoughts battled against the hopeful ones in her mind.

_I wanna say 'Why wait tomorrow for what you can do today?' and just give this to her...but that's like admitting that I don't think she'll survive. I know she can pull through with all our help. I'll wait until this passes...I just have to pray that my opportunity won't pass me by. _

"Annette?" Sven asked, knocking on the opened door.

"Huh? Oh, Sven, its you," she answered dazedly. She noticed the other two with him and hastily put her trinket away. "I guess you're going then?"

"Yeah, we'll be back sometime later on to visit."

She gazed at them solemnly.

"Make sure you do."

Train and Sven nodded back.

"Bye Annette," waved Eve.

"Bye Eve. I hope for the best this year..." she replied.

They walked home.

Eve tried to avoid Sven the entire way, walking a few paces ahead. Train whistled.

There were things they all wanted to say to each other, but they didn't know how. Train wanted to talk to Eve about what happened in the alley—he knew there was something she was not telling them--and he wanted to know if Sven had told her the truth. Sven wanted to help Eve's transformation slow down with the medicine Tearju gave them, he wanted to talk to her about what happened tonight...and how she felt about her possible future, now that he knew she had known about it the entire time they were trying to keep a secret. Eve wanted to tell them not to worry...she wanted to tell them she loved them..she wanted to thank them for being with her...

But none of these things were said that night. They went to bed...apprehension and worry kept them from honesty and so they waited for the safety of morning light to reveal their concerns to one another...

* * *

Sven heard the birds chirping that early morning and woke up refreshed.

He sat up and ran his hands through his hair, rising up out of his bed wearing only his long silk pajama pants. Still a little groggy from waking, he fished for the matching shirt in his drawer and put it on. Sven walked out of the room and towards Eve's, stretching.

Usually he made breakfast for them—since he liked to cook—but today he just needed to talk to her...before anything else..before things got worse. Disoriented in his hopeful euphoria...he forgot to knock that morning. He opened the door and called for her lightheartedly, with wishes that they would get to discuss everything that had happened.

His heart stopped as he entered. Everything in her room was in a disarray...as if a tornado had gone through and picked up her things and turned them upside-down.

Sven's eyes followed the messy trail of sheets that led to the closest window. They were soiled...he knelt down.

Blood.

He got up and hurriedly ran to the other side of the bed. On the floor, scraggly, spiderly letters formed barely coherent words:

_God created the world_

_I come to steal kill and destroy_

_I come to destroy_

_She will obliterate man and give birth to my children_

It was written in blood.

"Eve?" he whispered, hope against hope. Sven fell to his knees, fighting the wave of nauseating fear that hit him.

"EEVE!"

* * *

_One Year Later_

Sven stopped the car, the motor grumbled to silence.

"We're here...finally."

Wind ran through the field, rustling the tall grass surrounding the lonely country house that stood in the center.

They stepped out of the car and slowly walked to the door.

Sven knocked and the door opened.

* * *

**Endnote:** _If you want to hear the song referred to in this chapter, go to YouTube...and look up Ella Fitzgerald, song entitled: My Funny Valentine (fast forward the first 45 seconds or so to get to the main song...). The song is really nice...(honestly though...I kinda like Matt Damon's interpretation in the style of Chet Baker the best...I know, I know...weird...just look it up and forget that it's Damon) Just go open-minded. That's my best advice. _

_I know Sven's supposed to like Jazz, and if he liked anything...the man would definitely like this. He looks like he'd have good taste in music. Eve would probably like anything he'd listen to..she looks kind of easy to please in that area...especially if he's involved._

_As for Train...who knows what kind of music HE likes..._

_Let me know if you guys like the song in this chapter! I'd really like to know. I'll answer your reviews in the nxt chap (I have to get goin' on that...) If I even GET reviews for this chapter...but I'm not bitter at all...lol..._


	6. Man's Disgrace, Cast out of Eden

_**Disclaimer:** Black Cat. Isn't mine._

_**Author's Note:** ...Yes I __know its late...but I'll still have another chapter coming for August...so don't worry!_

_Btw, I hope you guys like to read, because...This is another looong chapter!! Whooooo!! Yeah! (God, I hope you guys are excited...because if not, I would've slaved over a hot keyboard literally hot, b/c I have a laptop...on my lap...) for nothing! Soooo, whooooo hoooo!! _

_I just got a new job, so on my off time, I've been writing. I've been working so hard, I'm delirious. Yes. Delirious. Whoooooo!! This has actually been one of my toughest chapters so far...so please let me know what you think._

_By the way...Thank you so much Arcon1. I'm glad you liked the story and the song! MasterSprtn117, thank you too! I won't give up, don't worry! :) I just like to hear some feedback...It gives me more gas...lol. What nice reviews. I hope you're not disappointed w/ this chapter...I've been a little apprehensive about it...I don't know...maybe its because I know more people are actually reading my stuff now..._

_In any case, everyone please enjoy. If you don't...let me know...I'll just go bang my head into a wall._

_If you do...let me know too... Then I'll buy a real fruit smoothie to celebrate (And then off to the gym! I'm on a diet..hahaha!...I'm almost there, summer bathing suit gratification of delight!). _

_Oh, and if anyone likes Coldplay, the new CD is..in my opinion...pretty good! I wrote much of this chapter listening to it...I suggest you do the same. I hope that doesn't taint your liking for my writing if you don't like them. Haha... :- /_

_Thanks again to everyone who reviewed!_

_Okay, enough of the small talk. Go, go. Go read! _

* * *

**Man's Disgrace, Cast out of Eden**

_"So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way..."_

_Genesis 3:24_

_-_

_One year ago:_

"EEEVE!"

Sven work with a start. He put a shaky hand to his sweaty forehead and flipped his legs over to the side of the bed. The red numbers of the alarm clock blinked lazily at his side.

5:07 A.M.

Still breathing hard, he stood, put on his slippers, and began to walk...measuring his steps carefully. It was still too dark out at this time to see anything—even with his blinds wide open.

Sven slowly felt his way to the kitchen and flipped the switch for the soft light over the sink. He prepared some decaf and poured it, black, into a mug. White steam rose from the dark surface of liquid in curling swirls.

_I wish I knew how to save you Eve._.. he thought as he stared at his reflection in the cup.

There were things about his vision eye that he considered as gifts—being able to predict his enemy's attacks was one of them. But its greatest weakness was his nightmares...there were times when he did not know how to distinguish the dreams from the visions.

He sighed and took a sip of coffee.

"Sven?"

He lifted his head to see Eve, clad in pajamas, staring at him intently from where she stood in the shadows.

"Nightmare?" he asked.

She nodded.

"Me too," he answered.

He got up and poured coffee in her mug while she heated the milk in the microwave. After it beeped a minute or so later, he held the cup while she added the warm milk and sugar. When she finished, he handed her the mug. She accepted it gratefully.

They sat there for a long while, drinking their coffee in a comfortable silence until their mugs were emptied.

Eve shifted and stood, carrying her mug to the sink. Sven followed suit.

Gingerly, she tried placed the mug so that the porcelain would not scrape against the stainless steel, but her efforts were wasted. A grating scrape sounded loudly as the cup met the bottom of the sink.

Sven, whose thoughts were elsewhere, almost bumped into her where she stood but was startled from his daze by the noise. He waited for the moment she would step aside to let him pass, but it never came. Eve faced Sven. He stared at her, holding his mug uselessly in his right hand.

Sven tilted his head questioningly.

Eve stepped forward, closing the distance between them. In an urgent gesture, she wrapped her arms around his neck. Sven's arms hung at his sides as he took a step back to steady himself, winded by her embrace.

"I'm sorry."

He looked down at Eve, who hid her face in his chest.

"I'm so sorry...I didn't want to hurt people anymore. I didn't—" she exhaled painfully. "I didn't want to kill people anymore."

Tremors struck her body with the effort of holding back tears.

"But that's all I've done. I couldn't bring the happiness that any of you deserve, and it's all I've ever wanted to give you. I know I'm supposed to think of something...I'm supposed to know how to stop this...but I can't think of anything," she confessed in hushed tones. " All I can think of is the pain I've caused..and all the pain I _will _cause."

She began to sink to her knees slowly as she fell steadily into despair.

Sven's mug shattered to the floor. He swept his arms around Eve and lifted her onto the edge of the sink in front of him. Her thighs hugged his waist as he leaned into the counter and gripped its edges.

"Eve," he whispered into her neck. She trembled as she felt his rough facial hair graze her smooth skin.

His knuckles were white with the force by which he held the counter.

She clutched at him tightly.

Sven tried to form the words that would comfort her...he tried to tell her...tell her that he—

"Remember earlier tonight? When you told me that you'd protect me?"

Her words pierced the silence.

She smiled sadly against him. "It made me so happy to hear you say that. But you said—you swore that the transformation of mine wasn't going to happen..."

She pulled away to look in his face.

"You also said that you've always told me the truth."

His lips parted slightly to reply, but she continued before he was able to seize the opportunity.

"I'm not a little girl anymore Sven." She folded her hands in her lap. "I know what's going to happen, and I know what isn't. You don't have to lie to me—even if it _is_ for my own protection."

Sven recoiled in shock.

He released the edge of the counter and his hands hung in the air momentarily, but fell helplessly to his sides again.

She tilted her head. Her bangs swayed to the side as she held her forehead...

"I can't decide which I hate more: optimism or pessimism," she said brokenly. "I guess...I guess I don't want to be disappointed with the future...I'd rather not hope. To be an optimist is to hope for the best. If you don't get the best, you're sure to be disappointed..."

"I can't stand to hear you say that."

Eve moved her hand away from her forehead. A cold, shining despair gleamed from Sven's eyes. To her—he looked lost, forsaken.

"I wish I knew...what to say..." he said weakly. "...But I can't stand to hear that..."

Sven felt as if he was drifting in a sea of helplessness. If she didn't dare to hope, how could he?

_I didn't know...she was suffering so much..._ He thought as he watched her in silence. _I'm such a fool...I couldn't have even grasped the amount pain she's been in._

Sven was failing her...

She smiled. It was a sad, timid shadow of a smile...and he could tell right away that she felt ashamed.

"I should be stronger than this...you and Train have taken care of me for so long...I should be so much stronger."

Sven grinned, beside himself.

In a fight—intellectually or physically—Eve was unmatched. Hell, she could even give Sven and Train a real run for their money. But this wasn't numbers, figures, and combat strategies...

He clenched his fists together tightly.

"You're wrong."

She flinched. Sven looked into her eyes.

"You're stronger than me and Train put together."

He took a halting step forward and reached out for her, but the closest he came to touching her was stroking the tips of long blond hair that fanned out from her body.

"I've never seen someone so strong," he murmured as he stared into her eyes.

Eve let out a shuddering exhale. Tears—the tears that seemed like they'd never come—finally ran down her cheeks. Her violet eyes shimmered with a new life as the tears streamed down her face.

Sven had been dreading those tears since the beginning...but now that he had finally confronted them, an overwhelming feeling of relief washed over him. Those tears...deny it as she might...meant she still had hope.

"Can I ask you for something?"

"Anything," Sven replied gently.

"Trust me."

Sven furrowed his eyebrows.

"If you trust me...I know I'll be able to find a way out of this...all I need is your confidence."

His hands lowered to his sides for the last time. He held still in their close proximity, feeling her warmth seep comfortingly into his skin.

"I trust you. More than anyone...and I'll keep you safe until you find what you need."

She looked relieved through her tears.

"...Train," she said after a moment. "He's not so dependable is he?"

Sven smiled good-naturedly.

"No. He's lazy and he eats too much."

He moved forward and leaned into her body again. His hands found her waist and he picked her up, she gasped in response. Carefully, he carried her out the kitchen with his slipper clad feet to the door left ajar in his room.

The broken cup was forgotten, its sharp fragments laid scattered on the cold kitchen tiles.

-

-

Sven bent over and laid Eve on the bed.

"Hold on," he said as he let her go and went into his closet. "I need to give you something Tearju sent with us...for you."

He took out a silver briefcase and opened it on the bed. She leaned forward and saw that there were rows of syringes held in black velvet and filled with clear liquid. He picked one up and held it up to her.

"These are to slow down your transformation."

The needle was thick and long.

"You do it," she whispered, looking away. She never minded shots in the past, but these...weren't your normal needles.

He inclined his head.

"The nanomachines in the serum might put you to sleep quickly," he said as he tore open a sterile alcoholic pad and wiped it on the inside of her arm. She squeezed her fist.

He pointed the needle to her skin and cringed in sympathy. He supposed the needle was so large because the nanomachines had to get through to her body undamaged—but still—even for him, it would be an extremely uncomfortable injection.

He found a vein and pierced the skin. She gasped softly.

When he finished, he removed the needle and bandaged her arm.

"Thank you..."

"Sleep here till daybreak. I'll watch over you to make sure you don't get any nightmares."

She nodded slowly as he wrapped her in blankets.

Sven watched her drift to sleep from the chair across the room.

He contemplated the little form tangled in sheets on his bed. Her blond head peeped out from underneath the covers.

_She's so small, _he mused. _It's hard to believe that she's going to be twenty soon. _

Eve's body had matured, but she was short in stature and toned, but still very slender. The top of her head reached Sven's chin.

He still felt an overwhelming need to protect her. She had suffered so much as a child, Sven felt that her new life should be free of worry and pain...but that had not happened. No, now it was just the opposite...

Sven was drifting off to sleep himself when the cell phone vibrated on the table next to him. It was a luxury he made sure to indulge in when he first got wind of Eve's situation.

Sven groggily picked up the phone, astonished that it was still working. He threw it on the nightstand when he changed the night before and had forgotten to charge it.

"Hello?"

"Its Tearju...Sven...I believe I may have found a cure for Eve..."

Sven's heart stopped.

"What?"

"I will need your assistance for retrieving a few ingredients...and it will have to be as soon as possible. My calculations indicate that Eve's time is running out."

Sven nodded despite the fact that Tearju could not see him.

"Just tell me what I need."

"I'll inform you when you arrive. I'm outside the city...in my country house. You must leave now. This errand may take hours—or it may take months—I don't know. Just hurry. There isn't much time."

Sven ended the call and hurriedly grabbed a shirt and a pair of pants from his closet and changed in his bathroom.

* * *

The woman closed the cell phone in her possession and handed it to the man next to her.

"Was that satisfactory?"

He stepped forward, surveying the cityscape that splayed out before them. The sun cast golden streams of light that flooded the buildings in draping shadows. The rays hit his face relentlessly—but he did not shield his black eyes.

"It was."

She bowed her head—a downcast, somber gesture, and walked away.

"Wait."

She stopped, but did not face him. Her long, black strands flew around her wildly in the cold wind.

"I still have need of you."

The woman with the mournful eyes turned and knelt, awaiting her instructions.

* * *

Sven crept out of the bathroom to stand beside his bed. He didn't want to wake Eve, but he had to look at her one last time before he left...he wasn't sure for how long he'd be gone. She slept peacefully, resting on her side, with her fingers tangled in the sheets.

"Goodbye," he whispered. He turned to leave.

"Where are you going?" a feminine voice asked.

Eve's words were softly spoken and her eyes were closed. It was a half murmured question—she was still half asleep. Her back was to him, but his movements had roused her to the place between slumber and consciousness.

"Nowhere. I'm going to stay here...with you."

"Promise?"

He did not turn around.

"I Promise. I'd never abandon you."

She closed her eyes. In a few moments, she had fallen asleep again, emotional and physical exhaustion had finally conquered her. He left her and closed the door behind him.

* * *

Train woke up in a sweat.

His first thought was of blood. It seemed to be on the walls, on his sheets, everything.

He sighed. He was going to check on Eve...he had a bad feeling...something was wrong.

Train should have said something to her the night before—but she was looking so forlorn and confused that he thought it best to wait till she sorted out her thoughts. He wanted to talk to her when she had some time to think things through for herself...

Train descended the stairs—it was still early morning and the sun peeped in splashing bursts through the blinds of the house. He walked to kitchen fridge for a bottle of milk.

As he opened the fridge and stepped forward to grab the milk, a sharp edge of porcelain nicked the skin on his heel. Growling in pain and aggravation, he slammed the fridge door and noticed that a coffee cup had been shattered to pieces on the tile.

_That must have been the noise I heard last night,_ he thought vaguely as he sat down to nurse his foot. He had been too tired to check it out. He hadn't sensed any cause for alarm when it happened, so he apathetically brushed it aside while he layed half asleep on his bed.

He turned, headed for Eve's room, when a paper on the kitchen table caught his attention. He picked it up. It read:

**Train, **

**Tearju called. I'm going to find a cure for Eve. **

**I don't know how long it will take...**

**Please take care of Eve for me.**

—**Sven**

**P.S.—Clean up the kitchen floor. I didn't have time.**

He heard the rumble of the car's engine.

With milk and paper still in hand, he rushed out the door just in time to see Sven's car round the corner a few streets down.  
"Sven..." he whispered as he watched the car leave. "What are you thinking?"

After a few more seconds of staring, he remembered the cold from the icy cement penetrating his bare feet and went inside.

He stared down the kitchen crossly from where he stood at the entrance. Train turned away—an act of defiance just to spite Sven. It was too damn early to pick up a broom. Sven could clean up his own mess.

Train squinted against the sun hitting his face and limped away with his fists clenched.

_If I had known last night that this cup was going to wreck my morning, I would have thrown it against the wall myself, _

Never mind that the morning's outcome would have been the same.

The reason he rose out of bed—Eve—was not in her room, so he immediately turned to Sven's and found her there. It had always been a habit of her's to sleep in his room when she had nightmares.

He was relieved to see that she was sleeping soundly. Nothing was wrong...

She woke when he was closing the door behind him.

"Where's Sven?" she asked.

He stopped dead in his tracks. He groaned inwardly...she had also had a habit for waking up at the wrong times...

A moment passed but Train finally relented and sighed.

"He's gone."

She sat up, the two words roused her.

Rubbing the final evidence of sleep from her eyes, she stood. She thought it odd that he had left...he told her he'd stay.

"Well...what time is he—"

"I don't know when he'll come back."

Her hands lowered slowly to her sides as comprehension took hold of her.

"What?"

Train shifted uncomfortably and leaned on the door post.

"It looks like he doesn't know how long it'll take...to find you a cure."

Eve clenched her fists.

"Where did he say he went?"

Train's expression was grim.

"The note didn't say."

Her eyes drifted to the note Train held in his hand. Eve's face fell...Sven had not even trusted Train with the location.

She bent her head, hurriedly contemplating all the places he might go—but the thought was interrupted by a sharp pain in her head.

Her knees buckled. Train caught her at the last second, dropping his bottle of milk on the rug beside the bed. It turned a darker shade of blue as it soaked up the milk that spilled from the glass.

Eve took a few deep breaths to steady herself and the pain subsided. Her worries, however, did not. She could not bear for Sven to leave her again...he didn't say how long he would be gone and he didn't even say goodbye...

"Why does he always have to do things alone?" she whispered against Train's shoulder. "I want him to trust me. Why can't he understand that?"

Sadness crept into the hazel of Train's light pupils.

"Because, Princess, he's too busy trying to protect you."

He helped her up and led her to her own room. It was closer to his room than Sven's.

"Rest in here so I can keep a better eye on you, okay?"

She nodded.

"Thank you," she said to him as she sat down on her bed.

"Anytime Princess," he replied with a smile.

The door closed with a soft click.

* * *

Train huffed.

_When Sven comes home, I'm going to give him a piece of my mind! He should have learned by now...Hell, the last thing she wants to be is a burden...__Separating ourselves from her—_especially_ for her own protection—makes the Princess feel like she's being unnecessarily abandoned. _

_Train rubbed the back of his head and ascended the stairs to return to bed. Sometimes he thought he understood Eve more than Sven did._

* * *

Sven sped by the country in his Volkswagen.

He realized how much Eve needed a cure when he had to inject those nanomachines in her arm. He'd have to do something like that once or twice every month. It would put her in pain each time...

He couldn't trust Train with the information regarding where he was going to meet Tearju. If Eve even _looked _upset, he'd tell her, and she would be sure to follow. No—they'd probably plan things together like the time he wanted to keep her with Annette...to save her from the hazardous life of a sweeper...

He checked the rear view mirror, making sure no one tailed him while he drove. He was not willing to repeat such a mistake again.

_I trust her. I know she can do it... _he suddenly told himself_. But if I can find a way to cure her soon, it might quicken things. I don't want her to drag out her own suffering... _Sven gripped the steering wheel as he thought of Eve. When she woke up that morning, he promised that he would stay. He did not know what possessed him to lie...but he was not able to tell her he was leaving. He couldn't bear to disappoint Eve if they found out "the cure" was no good.

He tried calling Tearju several times, but the call wouldn't go through...

He figured it was because she was already in the remote countryside and the reception was terrible. Sven sighed, picked up the phone, and tried calling Tearju once more.

* * *

Rins had enough. That morning she had decided to stop crying and start being more useful. She borrowed Jenos' car and contemplated Eve on her way to see her.

There was absolutely nothing to mourn over. Eve needed their help, and as long as she was still okay—there was still hope for them. Rins was ashamed of herself for having thought so pessimistically, but she was going to make it up to Eve. They were going to get a mani/pedi makeover!

"Like all girls should on a bad day!" she proclaimed, shaking her fist excitedly.

_Or a bad week_...her heart skipped a little beat as the thought suddenly attacked her.

"No!" she said to herself. "I have to think positive."

Rins made the mental note to think positive and mentally highlighted it.

* * *

After Train had gone to his room, Eve rose from her bed. It was still early morning, but there was daylight—and after what he told her, she could not sleep. She went to the bathroom in the hall and brushed her teeth and washed her face.

She was glad Train didn't ask her about her fall. She supposed he assumed the fall was from the shock of Sven's departure, not from the sudden pain in her head. She did not want to worry Train.

Eve finished her morning routine and drifted to the kitchen.

On the floor was the cup that Sven dropped the night before. Sighing, she bent down to pick up one of the red shards. The ceramic in her hand weighed heavier than it looked.

_Sven._

Her eyebrows knit together as she knelt to pick up the broken pieces.

He lied to her. He promised her he'd stay with her. After so many years of telling her the truth—of being honest with her...why would he lie? He never broke his promises.

Her heart fluttered.

Perhaps it was her advances from the night before. Perhaps he felt that he could not be honest with her.

_Could it be..._

The thought finally came to her.

_Could it be that he doesn't trust me?_

The thought alone grieved her.

She swallowed hard and stood.

It seemed that with each new thought, more pain wound its way into her veins and fed her heart.

She walked to the trash can, depositing the remains of the shattered cup inside, and finally returned to her room. Perhaps reading would keep her mind occupied on something else.

* * *

Train was _not _feeling well. Something was definitely wrong, but he couldn't put a finger on it. He got up out of bed for the second time that morning knowing that Eve was in danger. He felt it so strong that his hair stood on end. Trotting to the door, his hand moved to turn the knob, but it did not budge. He grunted as he shouldered the heavy door and pushed. It did not open.

* * *

Eve stood at her bookcase, surveying all the possible reads. She chose the Happy Prince. It was a sad tale, but it possessed a sort of beautiful melancholy...the prince was not human—he was different...he was a statue—but he and his friend the swallow had more compassion and love than most of the people in the city. Maybe that's why she liked it so much.

She read the short story on her windowsill. After Eve finished, she listlessly turned to peer out the window, wondering how on one night, Sven could have lied so many times. He said that she wouldn't transform, that he trusted her...that he'd stay by her side. But none of that was true.

He was gone...and she was lost.

Her eyes followed the horizontal line of the roof of the house in front of her against the red sky. Her eyes darted to the right of the building as a certain movement caught her attention. After a few seconds she saw a shadowy figure emerge on the rooftop. It stood, as if drawn from its crouching position and turned its head.

It stared right at her.

She gasped, dropping the book, and stumbled away from the window.

Ten seconds passed—and her heart was pounding.

Despite her surprise, Eve steadied herself and formed a long knife with her right hand.

The window exploded with a crash and shattering glass.

After that, there was only darkness.

* * *

Rins parked in the back of the house. Since Eve's room had a view of the front, she wanted to surprise her by coming through the back. She opened the door. It was quiet.

_They must still be asleep, _she thought.

It made sense. It was seven in the morning.

She walked in the living room when she heard a loud 'thump.' Glancing towards Train's room,

Rins tilted her head to the side and shrugged. She could picture him falling off the bed—she had seen him fall asleep once or twice before. In sleep he was not exactly the most graceful creature alive.

A wooden creak of floorboards sounded quietly from Eve's room. Taking it as a cue that Eve had already woken up, Rins giggled to herself and walked excitedly to the door. She wanted to start the makeover day right away! The more relaxation the better!

She opened the door and opened her arms triumphantly.

"Eeeve! Its time for you and me to get mani/pedi makeoverrrssss!!"

No one was there to receive her enthusiastic announcement.

She stood in front of the room in confusion.

_I could've sworn I heard her moving around in here._

Rins crossed her arms.

She turned her head to the right. The windows were shattered.

She gasped.

A faint scratching sound reached her ears.

Curiously, she stepped soundlessly to the other side of Eve's bed.

On the floor was a shriveled old man dressed in long black robes scratching lettering on the floorboards with his long nails...upon closer inspection...it seemed he was using red ink.

"Who are you? What the hell are you doing in here?!" Rins cried. She instinctively reached for her gun—but realized it was in her purse—near the back door of the house.

He turned and cackled psychotically.

In his right arm, Eve hung limply. She was bleeding.

"Eve!" Rins cried.

She jumped the man and tried to wrestle Eve away from him. He was much stronger than he looked. He effortlessly threw her to the wall. Rins crashed against it loudly and collapsed.

* * *

Train heard a crash...then a few minutes later, he heard Rins yelling downstairs. Now not only Eve was in danger, but Rins was too. He slammed against the door in a frenzy—bruising his arm.

"Dammit!" he shouted as his efforts proved fruitless.

In desperation, he grabbed his gun from the nightstand and loaded it with one of the color coded bullets Sven gave him for Christmas. He hoped they'd work. He had no idea what they were for.

Train picked one with a red band.

He aimed and fired.

Chips of wood went flying.

An exploding bullet. It blew a hole in the door big enough for him to walk through.

* * *

Sven was half way to Tearju's country house when his cell phone rang. The caller ID had Jeno's mobile number on it. He answered.

"Hey, I've been calling you guys nonstop. I'm surprised your call went through!"

"That doesn't matter—Sven we're under attack! We need your help!"

"What? At the country house?!"

"What the hell Sven? Why would we be in the country?! We're in the city!"

"That ridiculous. Tearju told me to meet her there!"

"Tearju's standing right next to me Sven...where the hell's Train? I can't get to him!"

Jenos heard Sven pause on the other line.

"I'm on my way."

Then a click.

Sven hung up.

Cursing, he made a sharp u-turn in the dirt road and sped back...

* * *

Rins groaned, suddenly remembering Eve. Shakily, she scrambled to her feet and quickly stumbled to the back door and pulled out her gun.

Rinslet heard the man's cackle behind her. She turned, gun in her hand.

"Let Eve go now and I'll make your death quick."

"You've no right to make claims on this woman," he answered, shaking Eve cruelly in his arms.

She moaned softly.

A loud BANG sounded in the house and shook the walls.

The picture frames tilted slightly with the force of the shot.

The extra weight he added on his body while holding Eve made him lose his balance.

Rins took the opportunity, set her jaw tight, and shot the man.

He recovered quickly and avoided it easily, sidestepping it as if it had been nothing but an insect whizzing by.

A second shot rang out, grazing the man's neck.

Rins glanced up to the stairs and saw Train standing in the loft. Her eyes lit up with hope and determination.

The old man also glanced back.

"That was a warning shot," he said, cocking his gun, now filled with normal bullets that he had found in the hallway closet. "I can promise that the next one will be messier."

He smiled at Train, not at all intimidated.

"I'm going to make you wish you never touched Eve," growled Rins. She aimed for his knees.

Two shots rang out at once. The man had avoided Rins bullets easily—but hers were meant to be a distraction for Train's shots to reach him. Train's bullet hit his mark. A puddle of blood pooled under the man's wounded arm.

"You bastard!" he screamed. He loosened his hold on Eve as his clutched himself in pain.

Train leapt from the balcony at him.

His hand was inches away from Eve when the old man with the crooked back realized his weak stance and grabbed Eve, jumping to safety.

Train and Eve followed the man to Eve's room, where he escaped through the windows he had broken himself. Train sprung after him, but Rins stayed behind, fixing her gun on the man for the opportunity of an open shot. Train was in midair when he was struck to the ground by a diving figure. They landed in a tangled mass, cracking the pavement on contact.

Train opened his eyes and found himself on black asphalt in the middle of the street.

A tall, blond haired man stood over him.

"You know, your reputation reached even my ears. I went so far as to monitor your development myself...but I must say, number Thirteen, I am disappointed."

His voice was soft, deep, and very calm.

"I'm not an assassin anymore," Train replied. He stood, his gun rested in its holster, but his hand rested on his gun.

"No, you are not." The man smiled with pity. "And it has made you weak."

He charged at Train.

* * *

Jenos and Tearju were currently barricaded behind a thick, old oak table in her kitchen. When he had heard explosions outside, he had assumed it was a flawed experiment at the hands of Tearju...or perhaps even more likely—that she was cooking. What he hadn't expected when he looked out the kitchen window, was seeing a caped figure with black hair floating in the air, attacking the house. Tearju had descended the stairs quickly and looked at him with curiosity. Before he could explain, another explosion sounded out loudly and he found himself struggling to stand amongst debris—and that the strange woman had added a sunroof to the kitchen.

He was behind the table now, shielding Tearju from where he stood. He could not risk to fight her one on one because he did not know if she had reinforcements. If they were to take Tearju...their whole battle would be lost...and Eve would be as good as gone. His post was to stand next to Tearju and play on the defensive line—and the way things were going, it was not looking good. He needed room to maneuver his orichalcum thread gloves –and that was impossible in the cramped, rubble filled kitchen. No—what they really needed was help. Desperately.

* * *

Train fired at his enemy's quick moving form, but he moved like a shadow, evading each shot easily. Train resorted to close combat, using his gun as a blunt weapon as well as a shield.

For this, the blond man turned out to be suited as well. Train faked left and struck out at the man, but his movements were predicted in advance, and the man struck him, throwing his gun out of reach. Train shook off the blow and kicked at the man to get him a reasonable distance away. The few extra seconds he captured from the kick, he used to recover his gun. Once the weapon was in Train's hands, he bolted in the opposite direction.

"Now you choose to run? You cannot be Black Cat, the man surrounded by such legend..."

Train ignored him and reached in his pocket, pulling out one of Sven's bullets. A white band encircled the tip. He'd emptied them out of the case Sven gave him before leaving his room.

Train loaded the gun with the special bullet and mixed it with a few of his own.

He spun around.

"Who said I was running?" he asked with a grin.

He fired.

* * *

Sven was furious. He let himself get blinded...now he had to turn back to Tearju's house because they were being bombarded by enemy fire...and they did not even know_ who _their enemies were.

_Wait..._ Sven thought. _If Tearju's under attack, then Eve and Train..._

Picking up the phone in a hurry, he pressed the number five on his speed dial.

"Hello?" the female voice on the other side answered.

"Annette, I need you to go to my house and check on Eve and Train. Bring some sweepers with you just in case."

"What's going on Sven?" she asked with surprise.

She heard the dial tone on the other line.

"They're in danger!" Sven cried in frustration.

There was a clicking sound, then there was silence.

"Hello...? Hello?!" Sven shouted.

He looked at his phone. The screen was dark...the battery had died.

"Damn!" Sven said under his breath.

Frustrated, he hurled his phone at the passenger door. It met the side door with a loud "thump'' and clattered to the floor. He could only hope that Annette had gotten his message.

* * *

A white cloud burst from the bullet that blasted from Train's gun. The man disappeared as they both went under a wide, enveloping smoke screen. It was not the result Train had been expecting, but it might prove to be useful while he planned his next move. Train breathed lightly, trying to gather his senses..there was...a moving presence...but he couldn't keep its position in his mind. It was moving too fast.

_Damn._

Train cocked his gun.

He saw a fist aimed for his head. He fired.

Blood splattered on his jacket.

* * *

Tearju stood in a panic, as if she had suddenly remembered something horrifying.

"We have to save the medicine. My data will be destroyed!!"

She was going to jump from behind the table when Jenos pulled her back. She landed with a hard thump against the wall.

"What are you doing?!" She asked, gripping at the wall.

"Saving your life!" he replied angrily.

She looked at him blankly, but after a moment her shoulders slumped and she held her head in her hands.

He sighed and his voice softened.

"Forget the data...the data's in your head. Stay here. If we lose you, we'll be goners for sure. Not us..." He corrected himself. "Eve will be."

She nodded and did as he said.

* * *

Train stood rigidly as he looked down at his chest. On his right side, below his collarbone, were the man's fingers—currently embedded deep in his skin. Train cried out in pain as he pulled them out viciously. The hand disappeared in the fog. The wind picked up...and the smoke screen lifted. Not ten feet before him was his enemy—blood trickled on his right leg.

"Not bad," he said, touching the wound on his leg impassively. A light, blue and almost blinding, glowed from his leg and healed before Train's eyes. He shrugged as all remnants of injury disappeared. "You wanted to slow me down, is that it? It will not be enough. At this rate, I will leave with Eve and you will not see her until I send her to kill you. That is what she was made for wasn't it? To kill."

Train's eyes narrowed as he gripped his shoulder.

"Rest assured," he said. "For my noble purposes, I will have her recreate life... Like a volcano when it erupts catastrophically."

* * *

Rins fought the old man who had taken Eve from her. It took him no less than three seconds to put her on the roof of the house across the street and came back to fight her.

"If you want her you'll have to go through me," he said, smiling.

"Deal," Rins replied.

She smiled back and shot at him as she ran past. His concentration in avoiding her bullets slowed him down, but she did not even reach the street before he intercepted her. He tripped her and she stumbled, losing enough momentum to fall.

He pulled out three daggers from his black cloak and threw them at her torso.

A scream erupted and broke the tension between the two fighters. Train froze. He turned slowly to witness Rinslet falling to the ground with three knives protruding from her stomach and chest.

"Rins!" he cried.

Her eyes drifted toward him as she sank down to her knees, pleading with him.

Her lips formed two words.

"Save her."

He couldn't hear it from where he stood, but he was sure that was what she said.

His body shook from anger...everything but his hands trembled as he aimed his gun toward the old man that had harmed her.

He shot three bullets.

All hit their mark.

The man fell to the ground in an instant.

Train turned back violently toward the younger blond haired man.

"You're not leaving with the Princess," he said dangerously. He cocked his gun and fired at his heart.

He raised his hand and the bullet stopped. It pointed itself towards Train.

"I have no choice," the man responded calmly. "I did not want to resort to this, but my patience for this useless fight is running thin. You are no match for me."

He lowered his hand and just as quickly, made a fist.

Train avoided the bullet that was suddenly redirected at him, but fell to his hands and knees.

He couldn't breathe!

The man rose in the air, fist still held tightly. He reached the old man's form and waved his other hand over him. The old man began to glow blue and stood to join his master. They both went to retrieve Eve on the rooftop. From the roof of the house, the man opened his fist. Train could breathe again, but before he could even react, an explosion went off. Flames engulfed the area around him.

His eyes squinted as he saw the three figures disappear through the smoke.

"No," he coughed. "Give her back!"

He stretched out his hand...to no one, to nothing...

They were gone.

"PRINCESSS!!!"

* * *

Sven finally reached Tearju's place, but was unable to park close by. There were too many weapons being fired to and from the property. The chances of getting hit by crossfire were too great. He had no other choice but to get out of the car a distance away and sneak in through the cellar door.

When he finally reached the kitchen, he cracked the door open and could see the damage that had been inflicted by the enemy fire. There was a hole in the kitchen big enough to fit a car, and beyond that, little explosions on the backyard left deep holes in their wake.

He opened the door all the way and crawled to an overturned table. There, he found Tearju and Jenos.

"Sven, what the hell took you so long?! We've been barely holding them back with my gun and the artillery Tearju built in the backyard as precautionary measures against an attack. I couldn't leave Tearju alone to fight them because she might be kidnapped or hurt..."

"Well what matters is that I'm here now. I can explain what happened later," Sven replied. He pressed the button on his briefcase that opened the compartment holding his weaponry.

"Where are the attacks coming from?"

"From above," replied Jenos. "Honestly, I've barely been able to see the attacker because I've been stuck here on the defensive."

"You don't know who's attacking you?" marveled Sven.

The ground shook from an explosion that had come too close for comfort. Jenos cocked his gun and fired a few rounds in the general direction of the explosions.

"No." was Jenos' impatient retort. "So am I going out there, or are you? We need to split up. One of us needs to protect Tearju."

Sven looked at Tearju, who was gazing guiltily at her hands.

"I can protect Tearju," Sven said. "You go."

Jenos nodded and ran out the kitchen and into the backyard.

The weapons Tearju built in the back were artificially intelligent—they could distinguish faces that she had put into the data as acceptable trespassers or friends. She had even gone through the trouble of putting the neighbor's dog—that tended to dig under the fence to her backyard—on the list of acceptable trespassers so that he wouldn't get hurt. Anything that attacked the main force of weapons was considered an enemy.

Jenos flexed his hands and readied his attack, but when he looked up, the sky was empty. It was quiet for a moment. Then...

BOOM!

An explosion rang out near his ear. A hole big enough to bury him was located on his right side.

He looked up again and saw a figure floating in the air.

A woman.

Her hair was long, black, and straight and her bangs partially covered her eyebrows. Her irises were liquid gold...piercing and melancholy.

"That was a warning. The next one will not be."

She raised her hand. Jenos raised his.

The both brought their arms down at the same time. Jenos' orichalcum threads cut her explosions and reduced them to fireworks.

The main weapon circuit had been damaged in the crossfire. It sizzled...electrical currents buzzed and burst from it.

She disappeared.

_Shit, _thought Jenos. _With the damage she's done, she'll be free to roam anywhere._

He stayed alert, but was surprised when he felt fingers around his neck.

"Forgive me," he heard a female whisper in his ear.

She pressed lightly against his skin, and he fell, paralyzed.

"Jenos!" Sven cried, coming out from behind the kitchen table. From his position he could see both of them.

The woman turned slowly and walked towards Sven. He aimed his briefcase at her and fired. She disappeared and reappeared in front of him. She reached for the briefcase, her hand covered his.

"You were not meant to be here," she said, her voice tinged with regret.

Sven's face darkened.

"It was you, wasn't it? You set the trap that led me away from the city."

She did not respond. Instead, she gingerly touched her hand to Sven's forehead.

"Sleep, son of Adam."

_Our mission is finished. Leave whatever lay there. I need you to return. Now._

She heard her brother's voice in her mind and paused. Sven slapped her hand away and flung his briefcase at her.

She disappeared for the last time...and did not return.

Tearju finally ran out of her hiding place and scrambled towards Jenos, who was slowly getting on his hands and knees.

"I feel numb," he whispered in labored breaths.

"Don't worry...it looks like it was a temporary paralysis...you should be fine." Tearju said while helping him stand.

Sven walked slowly toward Jenos. He was also trying to recover from his initial shock.

"I—I have to go...Both of you should come with me. I think this was all a premeditated trap…if it's as bad as I think it is…Train and Eve have already been attacked as well."

"We have to assess the damages that we underwent in this attack," said Tearju firmly. "If they wanted us to be killed, they would have not left without finishing the job."

Jenos nodded.

"I think she's right. You go...check and see how they're doing."

Sven nodded resolutely.

"Fine, but if anything happens, call me. I'll bring reinforcements."

They both agreed, and Sven left.

He could not shake the picture of that woman's face out of his mind. At the last moment—when she hesitated—he wasn't sure...but he thought he saw the faintest look of relief. Could it have been...she was relieved because she didn't want to kill...?

After what seemed like an interminable drive, Sven arrived home. He did not notice anything out of the ordinary as he parked in the back. He knew how loud the motor to his Volkswagen was, and he didn't want to wake anyone. It was only nine in the morning.

When he opened the back door that led to a hallway beside the kitchen, he heard voices.

"I don't know. I don't know how I'm going to tell him." Annette..she was troubled...her voice trembled.

"It's gonna be tough for him to swallow.." that sounded like River.

"Help me get her room cleaned...he can't see it like that."

Though he felt relieved that Annette had come to check on Train and Eve, Sven had the sinking feeling that something was terribly wrong. He quickly stepped from where he stood and found them in the living room.

"Sven!" Annette exclaimed. "I—I was just about to call you...I didn't expect to see you so soon.."

River looked at him silently. His eyes nervously glanced towards the door to Eve's room. He didn't have to say a word.

Sven dropped his briefcase and ran to Eve's bedroom.

"Sven, wait! Sven!!" Annette called after him.

The oxygen escaped his lungs as he witnessed the scene in his vision.

Sven's eyes followed the messy trail of sheets that led to the closest window. They were soiled...he knelt down.

Blood.

He got up and hurriedly ran to the other side of the bed. On the floor, scraggly, spiderly letters formed barely coherent words:

_God created the world_

_I come to steal kill and destroy_

_I come to destroy_

_She will obliterate man and give birth to my children_

"Eve," he whispered, as he saw the damage surrounding him. The blood he saw on the floor was Eve's blood, he knew. He stared at the room. It was the same scene that he saw in his dream…the very same one. He had neglected to realize that it had been a vision…this was his fault.

Annette entered the room silently with her head bowed. Her hands were folded in front of her.

"Train and Rins were caught in the crossfire."

Sven opened his eyes wide.

"What?!"

"They're at my house right now...Taking care of them here was too risky."

She lowered her head.

"You should see them."

"Are...are they alright?"

Annette turned.

"...You should see them," she repeated, and left him.

* * *

Sven shut the door to Annette's guest room behind him. Rins was in terrible conditions. He was sure she would live, but it would take her a long while to recover.

He sighed...Jenos was going to raise hell when he got here...he'd try and find the people that did this and take them all on his own...

He glanced on the couch where Train slept. He wasn't exactly in mint condition either...there had been an explosion, and the flames had singed his clothes and hair. The smoke that filled his lungs when he passed out made it harder for him to breathe—that and a few broken ribs and a wound the size of a fist in his chest.

Train coughed, slowly waking from his lethargic slumber.

His heavy eyes opened somehow and focused to find Sven staring at him.

Sven's face was etched in worry..and something that Train had never seen before...shame.

"Hey partner," Train called out hoarsely.

Sven's mouth twisted into a grimace.

"Hey..." he whispered. "You got beat up pretty bad. They told me it wasn't good...but somehow I expected..."

"Yeah, I know...Train's met his match..." he looked down at his bandages. "And lost."

"You losing...its a very strange experience for me. I don't know how to take it," Sven smiled. Train's expression said pure murder.

Suddenly his expression changed, and he groaned as he felt pain stab him.

"Rins...and the Princess..." Train clutched his head painfully. "Where—how are they?"

Sven lowered his eyes.

"Rins got injured—but she'll recover..."

"And the Princess?"

Sven swallowed and fisted his hands in his lap.

"Sven...?"

"Sven!" Train repeated.

Train sat up, somewhere finding the strength to reach Sven and fist his shirt.

"What the hell happened after I passed out? I heard Rins screaming her name...where the hell's Eve?!"

Sven's eyes flashed painfully. He still did not answer.

Train waited for his next answer. His mind was in shambles...he woke up disoriented and didn't know which memories of the fight happened first or last...or if they happened at all.

"She's gone..." River said miserably as he entered the room. "They took her."

Train's shock filled eyes turned to look at River. He let Sven loose from his hold.

Then something happened that neither River or Sven hadn't seen in a very long time...Train's eyes flashed evilly—eerily—like Sven imagined they must have in the old days...when he was an assassin.

"I am going to find them...as soon as I get out of this bed...I'm going to..."

He was interrupted by Annette, who came after River expressly to dress Train's wounds.

"The doctor told me that we had to make sure no infection'd get to you, so I'm going to make extra sure that those wounds are clean."

She held a very frightening, very large first aid kit in her hand.

"What are you going to do with that?" Train asked warily.

"Make you a spaghetti and meatball platter out of bandages and cotton balls," she answered as she opened the kit on the table beside him.

"Ughh...I'm so hungry..." Train groaned.

"Shut up and stay still..." she grabbed his head.

"Nooooo!" Train wailed as she roughly handled his injuries. "You're mean! You don't care about your patient's wellbeing!"

He tried to wiggle away.

"If my patient doesn't stay still, I'll hit his head with a frying pan. River!"

He came to attention.

"Hold him down."

River smiled. The evil smile...betrayed the payback he planned to give. He was still sore for all those times Train had beat him in other competitions (though winning at Christmas was a first).

"Nooooo!" Train cried tearfully. "Abuse! Abuse! Waaahhh..."

Sven's chair fell back with a loud bang as he shot up.

The commotion of the three on the couch stopped.

"Sven, buddy...what hap—" began River.

"How can you all act like that? Joke around like nothing's happened? We should be out there...looking for her!"

An expression of hurt crossed Train's features.

"We all show our sadness in different ways Sven..." he furrowed his eyebrows. "If I think about what happened to Eve nonstop, I'll lose it. I will. I'll do something...really terrible...and I can't...because I'm trying to maintain a lifestyle in someone else's memory."

Train put his hand on his forehead.

"Plus," he added. "Eve wouldn't want me to..."

Sven said nothing. He couldn't care less. He turned and walked out.

Something strange had occurred deep inside Sven's consciousness.

He shut off.

His mind—the rational side of him, his human side—fell asleep...and only a foreign desire remained. He swore to himself...while Eve was gone, he would have a new meaning to his life...

Revenge.

* * *

_One Year Later...Dec 25._

Rins opened the door to Tearju's. Her usually carefree, sassy smile was tainted with bitterness.

"Come in boys. There's a lot of catching up to do."

Sven adjusted his hat and walked in.

Train paused, looking at her.

"It's been a while," she said.

"It really has," he replied, and entered.

She closed the door behind him.

* * *

_**Endnote:** Don't be mad b/c Train didn't win on his first try w/ a new villain! Train didn't exactly win all his first fights w/ Creed...if he had...it would have been incredibly boring. So be patient w/ me. This action writing is new for me..I'm trying to adjust._


	7. My Brother's Keeper

**Disclaimer: Only the bad guys are mine. The rest isn't! :( **

**Author's Note: I know, I know...I said it'd be up in August...but technically this is still kinda the first week of September...**

**Anyway, school's started, so I might be a little slow on the updates, but I'll try to keep it once a month still. It'll be a challenge, but I'm def going to keep on updating, so don't worry about that.**

**This chapter introduces the villains...so (as a heads up) Train and Sven won't have an appearance in this chapter...sorry to disappoint... Next chapter will make up for that...promise. I was gonna put in another chapter in this one's place, but...I changed my mind because I felt that this one should go first. Its about time everyone kinda gets a feel of what's going on. So...let me know. :)**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**My Brother's Keeper**

_ And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him. And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother's keeper?_

_Genesis 4: 8-9_

_-_

_A Year Ago:_

"Has she woken?" asked the baritone voice of a man.

"Soon." a gentle, feminine voice.

"What are the reports?"

"She is already part of the main infrastructure. She cannot escape."

_She cannot escape._

The words echoed in Eve's mind.

"Where am I?" she whispered, eyes shut against the pain in her abdomen.

She felt a hand caress her cheek.

"You are in Paradise."

Then, there was darkness.

* * *

"Wake up. Wake up Princess..."

Eve was engulfed in warmth. A liquid surrounded her body...seeping in her pores...but it was a sweet feeling...as comforting as a mother's touch. Or so she imagined. She never had a mother.

She opened her eyes.

Her body was soaking in a fragrant bath. Mists of steam swirled over the surface, spreading scents of cedar and rose. She was in a bright room whose walls were overlaid with tiles of various shades of indigo, white, and gold. The ceiling was an oval skylight made of glass that illuminated the room in pale sunlight.

Under different circumstances, Eve might have enjoyed herself.

She heard a trickle of water and turned her head to the right. A graceful black-haired woman sat beside her. She held a water soaked sponge. Although she was dressed in a fitted black material that covered her body, she did not appear to mind that it soaked in water with each swipe of her hand.

Eve gasped when the realization came over her that the strange woman was bathing her. She tried to cover herself and turn away, but the woman placed two fingers against Eve's forehead in response.

"Forgive me, but your wounds will reopen if you move."

Eve involuntarily sighed, and suddenly her body felt heavy. It was not unpleasant, it was merely inconvenient...like accidentally sleeping in on a day where there are many errands to run. It was comfortable and disquieting at the same time.

"Z should not have hurt you so. I apologize for his indiscretion."

She held the sponge over Eve's arm and squeezed, passing the foamy water on the skin of her shoulder and neck.

"W—Why..?" Eve choked out. She could hardly move her lips.

The woman's eyes opened slightly in surprise.

"You can still speak?"

She passed the sponge down Eve's chest to her abdomen. Dried blood disappeared from her skin and into the deep bath.

Eves hair floated in fluid, soft curls around her body, covering and revealing her with each wave.

"Why..." she began again with more power. "Why am I here? What do you want me for?"

Y's eyelids lowered sadly.

"Princess, you must rest."

Eve suddenly thought of Train. In the last moments before losing consciousness, she remembered speaking to him...and Rins...she could have sworn she heard Rins' voice...

"Don't call me that," she commanded forcefully. "Where are my friends? What did you do to them?"

The woman's hand stopped for a moment, but she recovered and continued to bathe her.

"Please, I beg you. Rest."

Eve frowned.

"Can you at least tell me who you are?"

Her words were followed by a silence. The water soaked in the rays of sun that filtered through the glass above them. When Eve thought she would get no answer, the woman spoke.

"I am Y, your servant."

_My...servant?_

"I don't understand," replied Eve softly. She felt confused and lost...she only wished to go back home...but she could do nothing against the powers produced by this strange, benign looking woman.

Y's covered arms lowered into the water under Eve's body and pulled her out of the bath. Eve tried not to lose consciousness at the suddenly heavy feeling of gravity coupled with her forced paralysis. Water trickled from Eve's naked body as she carried her over to a bed with a towel and a fresh change of clothes. The woman dried Eve with care. Eve endured it in silence as she was dressed in a flowing white gown. With a sigh, the woman closed her eyes and the water droplets hanging from her clothes separated themselves and floated in the air. Eve gazed curiously.

The drops fell to the floor at once, and Y stood before Eve with dry clothes-as if she had never touched the water. Having finished, Y knelt beside Eve's bed and placed a hand on Eve's forehead.

Suddenly the room grew dark and all she knew vanished. Darkness enveloped Eve until she saw a red light in the distance. When she neared the light, two white bodies appeared. Infants...one boy and one girl. Before her eyes, they grew to what could have been three year old toddlers...and a laboratory setting appeared, surrounding them.

_It had been a top secret government experiment many years ago. _Eve heard the lilting echo of Y's voice. She continued.

_They had originally aimed for a female, but were surprised to find the artificially inseminated egg cell produced twins—one the female they had expected, and the other an unwanted male. Once the children were born, they decided to wait and see if that child would be useful. _

"This one doesn't speak..and his powers haven't even surfaced," said a man in a white lab coat.

"It's a shame. He seems to have been born mentally deficient," said another.

"We can keep him in the back for further monitoring. Just in case," suggested the first.

"Yes...that should be fine. Put him with the others."

Her eyes followed the men who picked up the boy and walked to a dark room in the back.

The wall was covered from floor to ceiling in cages. Each cage was filled with a misshapen inhabitant. Animals whose DNA compositions had been altered to form hideous creatures were placed into this room.

It was the room for failed experiments.

He climbed the ladder in front of the cages until he found one that was unoccupied...or rather, its owner had perished. The beast was taken from the cage with one hand and tossed to the concrete below. It fell with a sickening thud. The boy in the scientist's arms cried out and began to struggle, but he could not do anything against the man who held him. The man pulled the boy's hair and slapped him until he stopped his struggle, then he threw him unceremoniously into the cage.

Eve gasped.

_It was decided that he was not...and so, they discarded the "lesser" male into a cage while they trained the female. _

A girl, a few years older now, ran across a field where objects were being thrown at her—cement bricks, bullets, knives—but as they neared her, a pink light surrounded her body, and she disappeared. The projectiles landed where she stood moments before.

"Well done 6667," said a scientist who was recording data on a clipboard. She reappeared in front of the pile of objects.

The wind picked up and blew her long black hair across her face. She heard a a scream from a window on the building facing her.

Her golden eyes glanced at the window.

"Tell them to silence the child," the man said under his breath to another. He nodded and left quickly.

The scene changed and Eve was back in the room with the cages and the small boy. His shoulder-length wavy blond hair covered his face and his eyes were shut, but he was crying...lost in the labyrinth of a nightmare.

"Be quiet!" a black haired man with glasses reached in and beat the child with a steel rod.

Eve shook her head. She remembered how she was mistreated at Torneo's mansion...but they never had gone this far. A strangled cry began to rise from inside her.

"Stop!" she cried. Eve reached her hand out to stop him, but her hand passed through his as if it was not there.

The man continued hitting the child like he had heard nothing. He struck him several times until the small boy woke and his cries were properly suppressed.

The man closed the cage again and the boy dared to open his dark eyes. They were frightened and full of despair.

The scene changed again.

"Sir, a shipment came in from the Catholic Orphanage of the Holy Saints."

When the man he spoked to raised his eyebrow in question, the assistant explained further.  
"The brick church down the street." He pointed to several large boxes. "What do we do with all of these?" One of them was already open. It was full of heavy, leather-bound books with ornate gold crosses on the covers.

"Why would they send this?" The scientist sighed and shook his head—as if he did not have the patience to find out. "Senile old women... Never mind. Just use them for the cages. We're running short of newspapers."

His assistant nodded his head and rolled the boxes into the small room.

The Bibles were ripped into pieces and put into the cages. Last of all was the boy's cage. They finished and left, locking the door behind them. His stare remained vacant until, by chance, he noticed the red lettering on the pages. He tilted his head and fingered a flapping page in front of him.

"I am the way the truth and the light..." he whispered.

He picked up another page. The letters on this particular page were all black.

"In the beginning..."

_It was then, on that field, when I heard the human cry of a child that I remembered another like me...who had been taken from my side years before. So that night I went to investigate._

Eve saw the little girl with the black hair open the unlocked door of her room in the laboratory.

She had never given the scientists who kept her a reason to lock it. She obeyed every word they said. Her feet padded down the hallway to the cramped, yet large room in the far reaches of the laboratory. The scientists needed a great deal of room for their "mistakes."

The door was closed shut, but it was unlocked. She entered.

A long shadow appeared in the doorway of the room he was being held. The creatures in the cages were asleep...all save one.

She felt his eyes on her even before she could sense where he was.

The girl looked up and to the right...and saw _him._ He held the bars of his cage in his tiny hands while he gazed at her with large, black eyes.

His eyes did not leave her as she walked to the sliding ladder by his cage and climbed it, finally reaching him.

For a while they said nothing at all. They just...observed each other...

"What is your name?" he spoke first, his voice sounded hollow in the quiet room.

She tilted her head in thought, remembering the numbers the scientists used to refer to her.

"I...am 6667."

She paused.

"What is yours?"

He smiled...Eve could not help but think that it looked strange...misplaced. Like a wilting plant...still green but dying.

He inclined his head as if sharing a very well kept secret.

"Adam."

_I remember thinking...'What an odd name.' But, it sounded so beautiful...this self proclaimed name of his. _

"I am your brother. Like Cain and Abel were."

"Cain and Abel?"

He picked up a page from the cage he sat in and pointed to a few lines.

"They were brothers. Sons of Adam, the first man. They were the first brothers."

"Oh..."

He glowed blue and the pages in his cage gathered together in his hand to form one book.

"I have assembled most of the pages," he said.

_Though he had named himself Adam, he was really more like Eve. Both of us were. We were made after the first man...were perfected by men's own hands. Though they saw us as abominations, we're better. We both had been given powers. He had the power to change matter...the physical. And I had the power to alter minds..the intangible. _

He looked up and glanced inside the cage he was held in.

"I have spent the time by learning and listening to my surroundings. Sometimes, I saw you. Watching you comforted me."

Eve was astonished. Though the boy was perhaps six or seven, he spoke with clarity and sophistication. She was sure that part of his DNA had been to create a super intelligent life form. While it was in her genes through Tearju—intelligence had been fed to them genetically though other scientific means.

He reached his little hand out and caressed his sister's cheek. Her eyes opened in surprise.

"I'm so glad you came," he smiled again, but sadness hid in the corners of his mouth.

His eyelids fluttered as he felt something on his hand. He looked up to see that it was covered by her own. She was smiling back at him.

He blushed.

"I'll take you with me if you want sister. We can take care of each other," he said, barely above a whisper.

She nodded, beaming.

_It was an unfamiliar emotion I felt at that moment as a seven year old child. Later, I found that the name...that glimpse of something foreign and wonderful...was called happiness._

He looked down for the briefest of moments.

"I need a little more time. I can do little things like bend matter...but the things I alter don't stay that way for long. I need to get stronger before we leave."

As if on cue, the pages he assembled to form the semi complete Bible that laid beside him, fell apart and went back to lining the cage.

His eyes lowered in embarrassment.

"But--" she began.

He stopped her and put his other hand over hers through the bars of the cage.

"You look tired." He frowned. "You should return. If they find you here, you will be punished."

Though she could not see it, Eve could sense Y frowning.

A jingle of keys sounded. Both children stiffened as they heard two muffled voices on the other side of the door.

"Could she be in here?"

"Probably not, but check anyway."

"Do something!" Adam whispered. "I've already used most of my powers...I don't think I can do anything else..."

The girl gripped the edges of the ladder in fear. It was no drill...she knew how to act quickly during a test...but she could not prepare herself mentally to react in time for this.

The door opened and they as soon as they entered, they saw her.

"What are you doing here?" said one, his voice was dangerously low. Eve recognized him as the man who beat Adam earlier.

The other man reached up and grabbed the girl from the ladder, pulling her to the ground. The man who had spoken had a silver rod in his hand.

Eve closed her eyes, but she could still hear the cries of the girl as they struck her mercilessly.

Adam snarled from inside his cage, shaking the bars from his cage violently until he began to glow a bluish color. The cage's bars twisted and warped until they left a hole large enough for him to fit through.

_Open your eyes._

Eve did not wish to, but her eyes opened against her own will—as if by some spell.

Adam had already escaped from his cage and begun attacking the scientists to defend his sister. Distracted, they attempted to defend themselves, but they were held at bay. The little girl jumped up and attempted to run away, but one grabbed her arm before she could and held her there against her will. Before her brother could try to defend her, he felt a sharp pain run through his body, and he tumbled to the cold tile with a hard thud. The black haired man with glasses loomed over him, a sizzling tazer gun in his hand. The boy watched him helplessly as his small, electrocuted body trembled uncontrollably.

The girl crawled next to Adam slowly. She began to shiver, but it seemed to be more from fear than pain.

"Little brats. This is why I hate kids," said the other scientist, slowly standing up from the ground and cleaning himself off.

The scientist who towered over them smiled.

"I think I know the perfect punishment for their disobedience."

The man adjusted his glasses, its lenses shined in the dim light.

"Number 6667."

The girl looked up fearfully.

"I want you to kill him."

She opened her eyes wide and backed away.

The other laughed.

"She never disobeys an order," he said contemptuously to Adam.

"Kill him!" the scientist with the glasses repeated, picking her up by the shoulder roughly.

The girl looked at her twin brother. He was barely strong enough to hold his head up. His eyes were full of pain.

She shook her head.

He dug his fingernails in her shoulder.

She whimpered and her knees weakened.

Adam only stared up at her, confused and in distress...

The girl held out her hand.

"What are you doing?" Eve whispered.

Her fingers were inches away from his forehead.

He closed his eyes.

"No..." she murmured.

She stopped abruptly, lowered her hand, and knelt.

His eyes were still closed, but he breathed lightly—almost peacefully as her aura glowed pink around her.

Her arms wrapped across his shoulders and the back of his head. Weakly, he lifted his arms and returned her embrace. Tears formed in her open eyes and glowed by themselves...falling like bursting sparks from her face to his body. She touched her fingers to his forehead and his body relaxed. He breathed one soft sigh and was gone.

"No!"

_I killed my brother._

Tears fell from Eve's wide eyes as she witnessed the scene.

Y appeared next to her.

Eve watched with her as they tossed Y's younger self into the cage that previously held her brother.

She landed in the steel cage with a muffled cry.

The bars he bent to let him slip through had returned to normal.

_That cage was my home for three years._

She closed her eyes. _I felt his presence in that cage. In every bolt. In every paper that lined it. In those bars. _

Her hand raised as if she was inside it again, tracing the vertical metal with a deep sense of concentration.

_I came to know my brother more in that cage than anywhere else. It was like his soul had molded with mine._

She stopped suddenly. Her hand lowered...and she smiled.

_Three years later, on the anniversary of that very same day...I escaped._

The young girl, now older, pushed the door of her cage open. The scientists had grown careless over the years. They forgot to lock her cage. She got up and walked to the cage next to hers. The genetically altered animal in this cage, like all the others, was disfigured. In torment and very malnourished.

"I will deliver you from your bondage," she whispered.

She repeated this as she went down a line, touching each one as she passed. They all fell and closed their eyes as if in a deep, peaceful sleep.

"Are you ready?" Eve heard a voice coming from a dark corner of the room. The voice sounded familiar, but it had changed...she could not see who it was.

The animals were all dead in their cages.

"Yes," the girl replied.

Their surroundings changed.

It was pitch black outside...only the wane stars shined dully in the sky. A loud explosion sounded and an alarm went off. People started to shout, scream.

"She's gone!" heard Eve in the disorderly upheaval.

Several spotlights turned on, scouring the grounds outside. A group of scientists—perhaps ten or fifteen—rushed out of a side door.

"Its on fire!" cried one, pointing to the brick building.

"Forget it, just find them!" responded another.

A blue light appeared suddenly. It glowed, casting an eerie light on the faces of the men.

Eve gasped.

There, in the midst of the gnarled branches of an orchard, were two little figures. One glowed a soft, light pink color and the other a royal blue.

"We have come to pass judgment," said the boy who glowed blue in the darkness. His face shined with fierce vehemence.

"Adam," Eve whispered.

The girl behind him was passive, her eyelids were lowered halfway, as if in concentration.

"What...what are you doing here?! You were supposed to be dead!" yelled one scientist.

"You little bastard! I burned your body myself!" shrieked the other, with glasses. His fists were clenched and he stepped forward menacingly.

Adam grinned. His canines glinted in the light of the rising fire and the spotlight that suddenly found them.

"I am omnipotent," he answered simply. "Your little attempt at killing me was fruitless."

He tilted his head to the side.

"I came here to deliver you to the gates of death."

With his confession, he put his hand forward and aimed it at them.

For a few seconds, everything was silent and the scientists began to look at each other with dismissal for the child and haughty arrogance. There was nothing that this child of, now ten, could do to them.

Then...the ground shook.

A hole was forming underneath them...a black abyss.

Some of them cried out, some cursed, but they all were afraid in their hearts as the ground began to swallow them whole.

One scientist, Eve noticed—the one with glasses—was hanging from the edge. He was the very last one left.

"Number 6667!" He screamed. "You never disobey an order. Kill him! Kill him now!"

She walked to the man with the glasses slowly, contemplatively. Her brother stayed fixed to his spot, watching her in silence.

She knelt before the man with the glasses and touched his forehead.

"What the hell are y—"

His words gargled in his foamy mouth. He never finished. The man died with his eyes wide open and rolled back, his blood vessels exploded and trickled down his face. His mouth was slack jawed and he paled an unhealthy shade of white. She unceremoniously pushed him into the abyss with the rest of his companions.

Eve's skin formed goosebumps at the scene. She didn't know Y was capable of such a thing.

"That may have been a bit excessive of you sister," said Adam as he made a fist and closed up the hole abruptly.

She bowed her head.

"Forgive me."

He looked around. Several guards were coming for them.

"We should leave. These men are not worth our time. Once they realize the building and the scientists are gone, they will be out of an occupation."

She nodded once.

"Yes brother."

Y walked to him and knelt. He put a hand on her shoulder and she closed her eyes. With a flash, they both flew into the air and vanished into the night.

Eve stood silent as the night steadily turned into morning. She was at the opening of a cave—next to Adam and his sister as they witnessed the fruits of their work in the light of day. Nothing was left. Only rubble and charred wood left evidence of all that was there before.

"We will reshape this world," said Adam, unshielded eyes open against the harsh light of the morning. "We will turn it into paradise."

He turned to his sister, who immediately knelt at his feet.

"Brother, I vow to stay by your side until you deem it unnecessary. I humbly ask you to let me pledge myself to you. I swear to serve you well," she said in a soft voice.

At first, he said nothing..but kindness and compassion soon emanated from his eyes. He placed a hand on her head.

"I accept."

He helped her stand. Years in a cage made her too weak to do so by herself for very long periods of time.

"I will name you."

He held her face in his hands and appraised her golden eyes, her pale skin, and her straight black hair and bangs.

"In Greek mythology, Gaia was the daughter of Chaos, but she was the good and green of this world. I will call you Gaia."

She nodded.

"I am in your debt."

He walked further out to the mouth of the cave.

"Together sister...we will find Eden."

The scene ended...faded like the end of a film. Eve found herself in the large, illuminated room for the baths.

"We named ourselves X and Y. Two anonymous letters that meant nothing and meant everything. When we met our final member in the rubble of that building, we named him Z. Z has no other name than Z. X and I will be the only ones in the new world with names christened by X himself."

"Well," she added. "You are the exception. He named you."

"What are you talking about?" Eve asked. A cold shiver went up her spine.

Y went on as if she never had asked a question.

"My brother will find paradise...if not, I will help him create it."

Eve tried to move, but found that her body in its present state was still under Y's paralysis.

She struggled.

"How was he...how could he have lived? I saw him...I saw it happen..."

"He was alive the entire time."

Y pointed to herself.

Eve frowned.

None of this made sense to her—and she realized Y's cryptic, puzzling answers would not illuminate her present, dangerous situation.

"Your brother attacked me and my friends. He wants to destroy the world...How can you stand by and let him do all of this?"

Y blinked once, as if to say the answer was simple.

"He is my brother. His will is my will. I am his to rule. "

Eve expression showed she was troubled.

"I don't understand...your brother _died_..."

Y smiled.

"No. He's alive."

She paused and looked at the skylight.

"Nothing I could do would be enough to repent for my great sin...so I pledged my life to him. If I must repent in this way...I will. Gladly."

Y stood slowly. Silent, like a sentinel over Eve's body.

"You will help achieve his wishes."

The golden light of the setting sun cascaded over her body and her long, black shadow stretched away from her.

Eve lay helplessly at their mercy. She had no idea what they wanted from her...but she knew that she wouldn't like it.

**Next Chapter: Sven and Train go to Tearju and find out a few things about Eve's situation in the present...they find that a few sweepers and ex-Chronos assassins have reunited to help save Eve and the world. There might be a chance to save Eve...but are they prepared to sacrifice a life...?**


	8. The Condemned and The Forgiven

It's been a while guys. I've been swamped! Hopefully I'll get two chapters out this month as a double whammy Christmas present! Lol...I've been doing this between school, IDRIVESAFELY (traffic tickets...what can you do?), and running errands for the fam, so it's been a little crazy.

This chapter features Train and Sven and the gang...Eve's a minor character here. I don't suspect we'll be getting many flashbacks after this. I'm finally catching up to the present...so from here on, we pick up the story a year after Eve's gone missing. I've been listening to Stephen and Damien Marley for this one (lots of repeats of "Road to Zion"..Damien and Nas...lol), so....enjoy!

* * *

**The Condemned and the Forgiven**

_Now therefore forgive, I pray thee, my sin only this once, and entreat the LORD your God, that he may take away from me this death only._

_Exodus 10:17_

* * *

_Present Day:_

The house was quiet and cool when they entered. Sheer white curtains flapped by the open windows in the living room. The light beamed in and bounced off the white walls and dark wood floorboards.

"Weren't more people supposed to be here?" Train asked curiously as he looked around.

"Yeah..." said Rins. "Some haven't come—"

Train and Sven's heads raised in surprise.

"But those that did are downstairs getting ready to hear Tearju's latest news on Eve."

She grabbed a glass that was on the dining room table and filled it with lemonade from an icy pitcher.

"I'm going downstairs," said Sven quietly.

He stood and left the room. They heard his heavy steps descending the staircase.

"He looks terrible doesn't he? He's been that way for a while now," Rins commented, sipping on her drink.

"When did you see him?" Train asked.

She shrugged her shoulders.

"I'd come and stop by now and again whenever he wanted to hear any news on Eve....Though there wasn't much I could tell him."

Train put his hands in his pockets.

"I found him drunk."

Rins' mouth twisted sadly.

"What's he been doing this whole time?" Train stood and walked to the window. "Part of me is so angry at him...furious even...and the other part of me is sad..."

"He's been working really hard...he believed in you. But...Christmas came..."

She sighed.

"And you know the rest."

"Still..." he shook his head.

"Let's go downstairs," she said, finishing her lemonade.

Train followed her silently to the basement.

Rins immediately went to the back of the room where she would control the projector light they had set up to view from the front wall. Train wandered aimlessly between people he recognized. He made mental notes. Jenos, Tearju, Anubis, Annette...even Leon and his gang had showed up to this meeting. He inwardly marveled at how much they'd grown. Leon was as tall as Train—maybe..Train noticed grudgingly...maybe even a little taller.

Though he enjoyed seeing who was there to help, he could not help but notice who had not come...Sephiria and Belze were missing...so were Kevin McDougall, black cat impersonator Woodney, Tomoe and a few other sweepers that had been at the New Years party.

_Well I guess that ridiculous bounty for Eve's head in exchange for one billion dollars being paid by a few of the strongest nations of the world was a little too tempting, _he thought in annoyance.

Still, it surprised him that not even Sephiria had come.

He turned to see River talking to a not-so-amused Sven.

"Hey Sven, why don't you get rid of that old watch? Its useless...and unfixable—a hand is missing and the glass is broken...and it looks awful...."

"I won't," Sven replied stonily.

"Yo...in all seriousness...you're a little too old for good luck charms," River laughed. "It really looks like shit."

Sven's eyes flashed dangerously. His line of sight was suddenly blocked by the back of Train's head.

Train had stepped in between River and Sven with his hands in his pockets.

"Hey buddy," he said to River. "Why don't you worry about your ugly face? That needs more fixing than anybody's watch!"

"What did you say?!" River exclaimed, making a fist.

"Doesn't your mom have a really exotic name?" Train said. "What was it..?" he put a finger on his chin. "Oh yeah! I remember!...Patty Mc Fatty!!"

"Whaaat?!"

Train shot out of the room through the open cellar door to the field outside. River followed after him.

Train slowed down and River caught up, a little out of breath.

"Hey," he said as he put his hands on his knees. "That bit about my mom wasn't nice! Just cause her name's Patty..."

"Train just saved your punk ass from the Glaspar eye." They both turned and saw Silphy standing behind them. She had heard the whole thing.

River furrowed his eyebrows.

"What's the big deal Silph? You tryin' to save Sven from a fight?"

She made the motions to give him a hard slap—River closed his eyes and braced himself—but it never came. Her hand stopped a few inches away from his cheek. She caressed him gently.

"The way Sven is right now, he could take you and make you wish you weren't born...so keep your distance."

River blushed and nodded.

"Yeah, listen to her, Thunder head," said Train, turning around.

"Thunder head! I'll show you Thunder head, Spiky head!"

River made a fist, his iron gloves gleamed in the sunlight.

Silphy sighed and grabbed River's ear.

"C'mon, they're about to start."

"Ow ow ow ow!! Silphy that hurts!"

As the couple's cries faded, Train's expression grew serious. Everyone was tense. He could feel it in the air...it was suffocating. If things were this bad already, he wondered how they'd be when everyone got the news. A sharp throbbing cut through his abdomen.

_That little stunt with River was a bad idea,_ Train thought as he bent over, gripped his side and grimaced.

He was sure no one had an idea of how terrible the situation really was.

* * *

When Train finally entered, the lights had already been dimmed for their presentation.

"Want a drink?"

Train turned his head and smiled.

"Annette."

She smiled back. He noticed how sad she looked.

"I figure you'd need one," she said.

He shook his head.

"No thanks. I'm alright."

She stared at him for a few seconds and looked away.

"Well, I hope you stay that way."

"Yeah," he replied with a grin. "Me too."

Tearju stood and began walking to the front.

"STOOOOOP!"

Tearju tripped unceremoniously and landed on her face.

Jenos looked up from the front row.

"Who—?"

The door leading to the basement swung open, and down tumbled Kevin, Tomoe, Woodney, Belze and Sephiria.

Train walked over to the tangled mass of bodies and held out his hand.

"Sephie...its not like you to be late. I'm ashamed of you."

Sephiria took Train's hand crankily.

"I would not have been late if these three idiots," she said, pointing to Kevin, Tomoe, and Woodney. "Hadn't bulldozed our car with their truck. We had no other choice but to walk the rest of the way!"

"We were speeding only 'cause there was a mosquito in the car that we wanted the wind to suck out," Woodney said innocently.

Belze looked ready to assassinate someone.

"Okay...well let's all sit down before somebody dies!" cried Jenos, standing up as soon as he noticed Belze's face. He waved them over to a few empty seats in the middle of the room.

After a few moments, Tearju continued.

"Well now that we're all settled..." began Tearju, cleaning her glasses with the hem of her black sweater, "we can discuss the present situation."

She turned.

"Jenos, you may begin."

He nodded grimly and stood up next to the projector.

"I don't really know if its worth telling, but I wanted you guys to know what we're up against..." The blue light from the projector shined on his face eerily. "All of you are acquainted with Chronos some way or another. Its a secret political organization—with spies, assassins, and elders—blah, blah, blah."

Belze rolled his eyes.

"Get to it already."

Jenos smiled.

"Well after a lot of investigation and prying from yours truly, I found out that its a lot more—"big brother," sinister, corrupt—whatever you wanna call it...than we all originally thought!"

"Big surprise," Train said under his breath cynically.

Jenos took a few steps forward and shrugged.

"I originally thought those fairy tales I heard about X, Y, and Z were pure myths..but we've found out—or they've allowed us find out, I don't quite know which one—that they are the masterminds behind—not only Chronos—but this whole 'end of the world' mess."

He gave Rins a cue to the back and the image on the screen changed.

A poorly taken picture of what seemed like a crippled, figure appeared before them, but the image was too blurry to discern anything more.

Jenos pointed at the snapshot.

"This is Z, and it's the best image we have. This man, though old, has some sort of problem with keeping still...he seems senile at first glance, but his precision is astounding...he threw a knife from where he stood, at this hidden camera before we could retrieve all the images..."

He pulled out a broken device the size of a fly and held it out to them.

"It was thrown at a distance of over one-hundred and fifty feet."

Murmurs filled the room.

He nodded his head again.

A side-view of a beautiful and graceful looking woman appeared next. Her black hair ended at the waist and golden eyes peeped through below carefully trimmed bangs. She was dressed in a form fitting black body suit.

"Daaamn!" said River. The harsh sound of smacking skin sounded in the room as Silphy slapped him.

"This gorgeous woman is Y..." continued Jenos.

Rins' eyes bored holes through him from the back.

Jenos coughed in his hand.

"Anyway, she and X are a mystery to us. They appeared to know that we were spying on them, but didn't seem to care. In fact, it's more likely that they allowed it."

His next picture was of a blond-haired man, tall and with very dark pupils. He was, like Y, dressed in form fitting black.

"The last one is X. He's their leader."

Jenos crossed his arms and leaned on the wall.

"That's all we know...but I think its because that's what they've let us know."

Tearju stepped up.

"I have finally completed my analysis on Eve...and this is the first time I am revealing it to anyone...so listen well."

She adjusted her glasses.

"We have spent our energy in this past year in keeping Eve as far away from her next stage as possible. ...Our efforts for twelve months were not wasted. It gave us time for a plan."

A smaller light was switched off, and a map was projected onto the wall.

"This is the desert Eve is in. Oddly enough, there are no rivers or natural resources nearby—there is nothing to sustain them here. They have, for the first time in twelve months, stopped moving. That's the main reason we were able to find her."

She pointed to a red X on the map.

"She is here. Another reason we were able to find this place was because of these daggers..."

Tearju held them up in her hands. Jenos stiffened. Rins gave an involuntary shudder. "These are the daggers that Z used to attack Rins a year ago. In one, the inscriptions says, 'East of Eden.' The other has two numbers: 39 and 135. We found out later that these numbers are coordinates. Thirty-nine degrees North, and one hundred thirty-five degrees East. Our enemies _wanted_ to be found. For some reason, they plan for us to be there in the near future...in the same way they expected Sven to leave and Train to be there when they arrived to their home a year ago."

Train moved uncomfortably and looked up to find Sven. He saw him nowhere.

"Jenos," she said, "will you explain for those didn't know the whole story?"

He nodded slowly.

"Sven was tricked into leaving their home to go to Tearju's country house," Jenos said. He raised his arm and motioned across the room. "Here, actually. For an antidote that Tearju supposedly found for Eve." He put his hand in his pocket. "Unfortunately, he didn't know that it was a trap set by Y to get him out of the picture so that X and Z could kidnap Eve and slow down Tearju's progress on the information she had gathered on them by destroying the data in her city apartment."

"And Train," Tearju said, "what happened while Sven was away?"

Train shook his head.

"I think X just wanted to fight me. Just to see who'd win. Like he was having fun doing it," said Train. "I don't think any of us were really prepared to stop them. With as much training Eve's had, we've found out that her nanomachines don't work against them because their bodies are composed of the same kind of technology. They cancel each other out, so she can't transform. Sven and I together would have slowed them down, and they wanted to avoid it—especially since Eve could have been caught in the crossfire. I think they wanted to avoid hurting her physically...."

Tearju nodded and pushed her glasses to the bridge of her nose.

"While they may be expecting us," she continued, "the best thing we can do is to hope that they have no idea what we're planning." She motioned toward Rins. "They aren't all-knowing. They certainly didn't count on Rins to be there...fortunately for us, the damages didn't prove to be fatal."

Tearju shifted and pressed another button.

A picture of a mechanical human heart embedded in sand came on the screen. What appeared to be trees and mountains surrounded it. It dwarfed them.

"This is Eve."

A few in the audience gasped.

"Or rather—this is where she is." Tearju explained. "Early this morning—a little after 12 am., this appeared on the desert landscape. She is moving on to the next stages. Immobilization and eradication. For those of you who haven't heard—or forgotten—these are the stages that she will prepare for ridding the world of its inhabitants. It is the perfect time to take action."

"Why?" questioned a figure in the back. Train turned his head to see it was Leon.

"Because she will be most instable in these stages."

She turned and addressed the entire room.

"There might be still time to save Eve as well as the world..."

Here, Tearju became visibly uncomfortable.

"There _is_ a catch."

She leaned against the wall, and put a few fingers to her mouth.

_How can I tell them? _Tearju thought.

"What is it?" Leon probed.

Tearju glanced at him and reluctantly, she continued.

"We need a team to enter the heart to fight Eve and her protectors from the inside...I've devised a way to enter unnoticed, but that isn't the problem." She took a slow breath. "The problem lies in who is going to retrieve her. Whoever enters that room...the room they'll keep her in to activate the system...will have to exchange his or her life in forfeit."

"But how? That doesn't make any sense," said Kevin McDougall.

"No, it does. I've spent months analyzing its behavior through specimens we've stolen. Her system, this second chip, is formulated to work on another life force. It is like a parasite—it won't be able to live without a human being. Once it matures enough to become an external part of Eve, there's a chance that it can be separated. If we manage to do that, its first response will be to frantically search out for anyone else to replace her. Our advantage in this situation is that Eve is the only one suited to control it because it was created specifically for her. Whoever else takes her place won't have the power to stabilize it, and because the organism isn't self sustaining, it will self destruct."

"So whoever goes in, won't go out. Is that it?" Belze asked.

Tearju nodded. "Yes."

"Sounds like fun," Jenos grinned with his arms crossed.

Everyone murmured amongst themselves.

"That's crazy...I can't believe it."

"Shit. This is straight from a sci-fi horror movie..."

"Something's got to be done though."

"But...what?"

"What do you actually have to do once you're in the room?" Train asked above the voices curiously.

Tearju pursed her lips.

"That's the mystery. I imagine she'll be connected to the heart somehow, but how to cut her off without fatally injuring her will be a challenge—that and doing it before the system recognizes the team as an intruder."

A figure moved from the shadows.

"I'll do it."

The entire room turned in unison to see Sven standing calmly before them, hands in his pockets, as if he had said nothing out of the ordinary.

* * *

_A year ago:_

"Eve...."

She hung limply against something. Her feet weren't touching the ground. She felt as if she had been asleep for a long while.

"Eeeve."

Again, she heard the soft voice. It filled her with longing.

"Sven?" she whispered.

"Poor Eve."

She opened her eyes wearily and felt that a shadow stood over her

"Sven," she sighed. She couldn't contain the relief from her voice.

"Was it another nightmare?" he asked.

She reached her arms out until her fingers touched his shoulders. She couldn't move any closer...something held her back. He took a few measured steps forward, until she could encircle her arms around his shoulders. She nestled her head in the crook of his neck. She thought it odd when she couldn't smell him.

"Oh, my poor little monster," he cooed.

Eve froze.

She felt him smile at her neck.

"God, you're hideous," he whispered.

She pushed him away and he laughed.

"Who are you?" she cried. "Where's Sven?"

"Sven is right here!" the figure yelled. He slapped her cruelly. She bit back a cry.

"And I won't leave until you admit it!"

Another slap sounded the room, followed by a muffled scream.

"Are you sure this is necessary brother?" Y asked from the hall. Ever since she cleansed and dressed her wounds, he had ordered her to keep her in the hallucinogenic room. She knew very little about the room...only that it emitted heavy gases into the room that caused fits of delirium. Eve had been there for weeks.

"Yes, I am. By destroying the images of the things she loved the most, Eve will further alienate herself from her world. The more she hates her world, the more she will come to love me...and obey my every command."

She nodded as he walked away, but her eyes couldn't help lingering at the door.

* * *

A silence settled over them all as they realized the implications of Sven's decision.

"You can't."

Jenos stared at Sven resolutely.

"We can't just send you in there without a clue as to what will happen. Especially after what happened last time..."

Sven came to attention.

"What happened last time?"

Jenos raised an eyebrow.

"Train almost got killed."

Sven took a step forward.

"What do you mean, he almost got killed? I thought she recognized him..." His voice died down and looked bewildered as he glanced around the room.

All at once, it became uncomfortably silent. Train glanced downward guiltily. It seemed that everyone but Sven had heard the story.

"No," Jenos replied, missing the frantic gestures from Train's waving arms. "Fortunately, we rescued him before she could do any permanent damage. She seems to be under mind control...or worse...she's been brainwashed."

Jenos wasn't one to sugarcoat the truth...Train remembered this as he groaned softly, resisting the urge to bang his head against the wall. It also didn't help that he was hopelessly clueless as well.

Train sighed and glanced up.

Sven looked at him scornfully.

Train stepped up, finally ready to give his confession.

"Sven, I didn't tell you the truth this morning. I went there about a month ago, because we had finally caught up to Eve. I almost snuck in—but before I could even reach the gate, they found me and attacked."

He looked at the ceiling in remembrance.

"I saw Eve. I saw her wrapped in these long, winding cords...they looked a little like veins. She struck out at me—dozens of times—and she looked like she knew what she was doing. There was recognition in her eyes...like she knew me but couldn't place me. The only reason I didn't die was luck and experience..."

He carefully lifted his shirt with one hand.

Sven was taken aback at what he saw.

Train's middle was wrapped in bandages. Blood soaked through a few spots and a thin brace held his right side.

"I needed about three and a half weeks to recover to even reach you. I had to come later than the time we agreed on."

Sven clenched his jaw and made a fist.

"You told me--"

"I know what I told you Sven," Train admitted. "I lied."

The next thing he knew, he was on the floor with Sven standing over him.

Train rubbed the spot where Sven's fist impacted his cheek. His sides smarted a little.

"I guess I deserved that..." Train murmured, fingers gingerly grazing the red mark on his face.

"Why'd you lie to me?" Sven asked angrily.

Train sat up.

"How else would you come? I found you drunk..how else could I reason with you?!"

"You bastard! I told you what happened in my vision, and you didn't want to believe it."

"No Sven," train answered, "You're the one who doesn't believe the truth. She's still alive." He furrowed his eyebrows. "She may have hurt me, but she wasn't herself. She didn't mean to."

"How are you so sure of that?" Sven's voice lowered. "If I hadn't had that vision, I'd be charging in that place by myself looking for Eve...but I saw her...she was—she wasn't alive..."

Sven faltered, and that moment Train realized how hard it had been for him to admit that.

"Do you really want to take the risk?" Train whispered. "Are you going to believe that vision? What if she _is_ alive? Would you be willing to face those consequences?"

"You should talk," Sven said angrily. "You've been following her for a year with no results."

Sven's face was calm, but his voice was wracked with emotion. Train's fist shook.

"What you didn't understand and still don't understand is that Eve wanted you to trust her to find a way out of her own problem. She didn't want you to find a cure. She wanted you to stay with her while she found her own way out. What happened is that you didn't trust her—and that's why you can't forgive yourself."

"That's not it!" Sven said desperately.

"Of course it is. You just don't want to admit it. You're telling yourself that you trust her, while acting against her wishes to find her a cure! What else does that mean Sven? Don't you think you should leave her destiny in her own hands? Isn't that her right as a human being?"

"Well, whose hands do you think her destiny is in right now? Eve needs help. And I don't even know if it's enough, because a year later, she's still lost," Sven glowered at Train. "She's worse now than she was before."

That struck a chord in Train. He had, for months, been tirelessly looking for Eve..and when he finally found her in the desert, he spent his time trying to stall the next stage of her transformation.

A drunk, hung-over partner was the last thing he had expected when he finally was able to go looking for him.

"Our whole plan is based on trusting Eve. When we get into that room, we don't know what'll happen. We just have to go hoping that some sort of a miracle will happen. You didn't volunteer to go into that room because you trust her. You volunteered because you're suicidal! You just want to punish yourself because you know what I'm saying is true. If you would have trusted her—been honest with us about your vision—we could have prevented this. Sven, you already had your chance to save her and failed!"

A sound of shattering glass penetrated the room.

Before Annette's feet were the glasses that slipped from her hands.

She could not believe what she was hearing.

The room silenced...everyone froze.

Rins and Jenos looked at each other in panic. Sephiria turned away from Belze's surprised face to witness the scene. Leon and his gang all turned heads. River stood beside Silphy.

"Oh man.." River whispered.

Sven's stricken expression turned into a pained smile.

"You're right. I did."

He put on his hat and turned. The sweepers moved aside to let him pass.

Train held out his hand suddenly, taking a halting step forward as he watched his friend leave through the cellar door.

As Sven's figure disappeared into the light of the afternoon, Train grabbed his head and sat on the ground.

_You already had your chance and failed? How could I have said that?_

"What was I thinking?" he murmured.

Train sighed, stood up, and left the room.

* * *

When Sephiria and Jenos found Train, he was leaning on the chimney of the roof, looking out towards the countryside.

"Hey," said Jenos.

Train's eyes flashed up, but he said nothing. Sephiria walked toward him and sat down.

"You know," said Sephiria, "X, Y, and Z were the real reason Chronos fell into decay. They stopped issuing orders like they had never existed. The elders disappeared and we were left without anyone to govern our paths. I believed in Chronos...in fact, I was made for it...but after that happened, I—"

She stopped, shut her eyes tight and put her hand to her forehead.

"I just...got lost," she looked up. "We can't blame what's happening on Eve. We can't blame our entire mission on her either. Some of us have our own personal agendas against them as well."

Train shifted and turned to face her.

"What do you mean?" he asked softly.

Sephiria smiled. Train wondered how such an innocent face could have seen and done so much damage throughout the years.

"Like you Train, they found me when I was still a child. But they found me years before they found you, and trained me at a younger age... They branded me as theirs...like cattle. But it was this that made reassured me: I belonged somewhere, and to someone. It didn't matter that I had been _used_." Sephiria grinned. "Chronos took me in when the world had shut me out. I promised myself I would honor them and what they stood for."

"Well..." said Train after a few moments silence. "That's one way of looking at it."

"Yeah," agreed Jenos. "We all have our reasons for working for Chronos. I just joined because I didn't like 9 to 5 jobs, and I was good with my hands. Plus, those gloves looked so damn cool."

Sephiria stared. Train rolled his eyes. Jenos shrugged.

"We also all had our own reasons for staying or leaving," Sephiria looked out into the landscape that surrounded them. "Grief followed me every time I took a life, but I don't regret my choice to join Chronos—my chance of doing some kind of good—even if the methods were less than agreeable. I can't. Its not in my nature."

"I'm glad its not. It'd be a pretty boring life if we were all the same," said Train.

He gazed out into the view. They were all silent for some time. Then, Train broke the silence.

"Was I too hard on him?" he asked. He didn't look at either of them.

"As a partner and friend, he depends on you to tell him when he's going astray," Sephiria paused. "But to tell him that way...it was cruel."

Train sighed in resignation.

"You know, we've all had our fair share of suffering since the beginning," Jenos began. "But..I think we're losing sight of the one who needs our help the most...and that's Eve."

* * *

_A year ago:_

A soft throbbing bit at Eve's temple.

Six weeks had passed. In that time, she feared that her life had been a lie.

She was held fast to a wall that reminded her of the walls of an artery from the many books she had read on the subject. Veins held her back high against the floor, so that her feet never touched the ground. In a few weeks time, she had learned how to control the veins as if they were extensions of her arms and legs. By the fourth week, she could feel the tremors caused by human or animal steps from incredible distances. She learned how to differentiate them from each other. A rabbit's steps were halting and erratic, a wolf was a surefooted trotter, and deer were swift and flighty. Human steps had a rhythm all their own: over-confident and heavy—as if they wished to mark the land as their own by the way upon which they walked on it.

By the fifth week, she had learned that she could extract life force through animals by touch. She had practiced on a few mice until she had the strength for birds and bigger game. Human game.

Eve remained imprisoned in that room. She could remember nothing but that room. Everything was so long ago, shrouded in a haze of pain and the dust of memory that it seemed she had been born in the soft arterial walls that pumped life and nutrients into her small body. She retained all the knowledge she had learned over the years, but she thought perhaps that the walls showed her and taught her all that she knew. They had nurtured her and held her from and for abuse.

A door creaked open. Eve flinched.

It was a human....but this was different. Eve could feel no steps.

"Eve."

She stiffened at the sound of her name.

When she saw the person's face, she relaxed because she couldn't recognize it.

"Who are you?" she said. The blond man smiled.

"I've come to save you from this place Eve. No one's going to hurt you any longer."

Despite the fact that Eve could no longer bring herself to feel anything, tears came to her eyes.

"Don't you believe me?" he said.

He pulled out a long sword and raised it high. Eve trembled as he quickly cut the living bonds that held her against the wall.

After a few moments, Eve tilted her head and lifted her arms hesitantly. He smiled and bent graciously to embrace her. With careful grace he ran a hand through her hair and lifted her up.

She sighed. Eve couldn't remember the last time she felt human contact that had been so gentle.

"Save me," she whispered as she stared into his black eyes.

He kissed her lips briefly.

"Always."

* * *

Sven trekked through the woods on the outskirts of Tearju's property with his hands in his pockets.

He had a lot to think about...

He was seething. There had been so much done to try and save Eve, with little or no results. Putting her in that situation was like prolonging her suffering. It made him sick.

He was miserable without her. Everyday was a struggle...just to wake up in the morning and find her room empty made him want to go back to bed and pretend like nothing never happened.

He envied Train. Train was able to leave. By going to find her, he got to escape Eve's phantom—her memories at every turn. The ghost smile in the kitchen, the soft echo of humming as she looked for a book to read, her violet eyes. Those eyes haunted him...

But, most of all, Sven was ashamed.

He couldn't stand using the excuse of his vision to stay away from her. There could be a chance that she'd be alive. Its true that he had seen her dead in his vision, but that wasn't the real reason he didn't want to go. The real reason was that he wasn't brave enough.

It was _his_ fault that he didn't stay to protect her when he had been tricked into leaving the house. He had never been honest with her about how he felt, about his vision of her being kidnapped, of what she'd turn into...

Sven was beside himself. Train was right. He didn't trust her. It was his mistake, and she paid the consequences. The thought turned his stomach. He couldn't bear to see how much pain she was in because of him. It scared him. He had never been so scared before in all his life.

Sven stopped walking and slumped against a tree.

"I'm such a coward," he whispered.

* * *

Train descended the stairs of the attic followed by Sephiria and Jenos. He left them as they headed for the basement and went to the kitchen to open the fridge apathetically. For the first time in a long time, he had lost his appetite. He heard the sound of rushing water as he closed the fridge. Train looked to the right and saw a pair of shapely legs, jean shorts, a tight t-shirt, and short mauve hair.

"Rins."

Rinslet turned around with a dry rag and the lemonade pitcher that had been used earlier that morning in her hands.

"Train," she smiled.

He closed the fridge door and sat down glumly at the kitchen table. Rins sat down beside him.

Train turned away from her and glanced out the window. Sven was at the far side of the clearing. From their view, his beige suit and hat glowed with the full light of day.

"You know," she said, "instead of walking around like a scolded baby, you should go talk to him."

Train shot her a disparaging look.

"I'm not a kid, Rins. Go nag at Jenos."

She stood and turned.

"Fine."

He heard her stomping towards the kitchen door when, "Wait. Rins, I'm sorry. I didn't mean that—I..."

Train sighed and looked at his hands.

Rins' expression softened. She walked over and knelt beside him as she gazed at Sven through the window.

"He's exhausted," she said. "He's aged so much in a year...and looks so worn out...it breaks my heart."

A cloud had blocked the sun and taken away the glare from Sven's body. He was now close enough for them to see his face, but Train didn't lift his gaze. He furrowed his eyebrows.

"Look at him Train," she commanded, putting a hand on his knee. "I mean, really _look _at him."

Slowly, hesitantly, Train obeyed. Sven was walking towards the house with his hands in his pockets. He looked so..._tired_.

"It breaks my heart," she repeated.

Rins covered her face with her hands.

"Both of you. Both of you break my heart."

"Rins..." Train exhaled. "Don't cry..."

He tilted his head to the side and held his arms out beseechingly towards her.

"You know I hate seeing girls cry!"

She shook her head, and ignored him.

He lowered his hands.

"I don't blame him...not really..." he whispered.

Rins looked up slowly. She saw Train smiling bitterly.

"I blame myself."

She put a hand to his knee. Rins knew there was no use arguing the fact that they weren't to blame for the situation. He and Sven would still feel responsible. Train looked at her.

Her tears were shining, but there was hope. He saw it in her eyes.

"So are you going to let him carry the blame all by himself?"

He shook his head slowly.

She gave him a relieved laugh.

"Train, listen. You, Sven, and Eve...you three have this special bond. It's incredible. I've never seen anything like it. It's you three that need to fight the most in this battle—and it's already taken its toll. It's going to be really hard, but we're all at the point now where we decide whether its worth it all or not."

Train stood slowly and walked towards the porch door.

Rins followed suit.

He began to trot down the steps and half turned.

"Hey."

She looked up to see his warm smile light up his features again.

"Thanks."

She laughed.

"Anytime."

Train waved her off.

"Hey, while you're in the kitchen, go do your job as a woman and fix me some dinner!"

She indignantly put her hands on her hips.

"TRAAAIIIIN!"

He laughed as he picked up speed to escape her wrath.

* * *

When Train saw Sven, he was standing in the field underneath a large, old oak.

_Sven didn't deserve that, _thought Train.

When he had been troubled with the memories of Saya, Sven let him figure it out...he gave him time. When he was ready to throw away his life to kill Creed, Sven stepped in and gave him a reality check. But he never did it cruelly.

"Aww man...I really blew it..." he whispered as he rubbed the back of his neck.

Sven glanced up as he saw Train plod towards him, but remained motionless.

"Listen I'm really sorry for what I said. I don't know. Ever since Eve's been gone, I've been a little on edge..."

He sighed.

"Never mind. I shouldn't use her as an excuse. A partner's supposed to watch out for a partner...and I haven't done much of that this past year."

For a moment, Sven said nothing. He took a hand out his pocket and removed his hat.

"You were watching out for me the best way you could've—because you were watching out for Eve. I couldn't have asked you for anything more."

"Still, Sven. I'm sorry."

Sven laughed dryly. It was a shadow of a laugh, but it was a laugh nonetheless.

"Who knows? If you hadn't said what you did the way you did, I might not have listened."

Train sat down at the roots of the tree and picked at a long stem of grass. Sven stood next to him and fiddled with the rim of his hat.

"This isn't like you Sven."

Sven looked at Train, but Train kept his eyes pinned on the field ahead of him.

"If Eve was in danger, you'd be the first one to get out the door and do anything to save her. You're not yourself..."

"You're right, Train."

Train dared to look up, and regretted it immediately. Sven's face...his eyes...they were empty.

"You're right...I've been living for her revenge, but this Christmas, I've realized that isn't going to help get me to her...to Eve." Sven said her name with a delicate reluctance. "I wanted to save her—" His voice lowered. "I did. With everything I had...but going there was like telling me to follow her day after day just to witness the pain she's in because I couldn't protect her."

He lowered his eyes.

"That's unbearable."

Train sighed.

"Sven, do you think you're the only one who blames himself?"

Sven shifted.

"I was there," Train began, "when they kidnapped her, and I didn't protect her." He reclined against the rough bark. "We can talk about trust and mistakes made that day...but I didn't save her. I was too weak," Train exhaled slowly. "You wanna know what I thought on that rooftop on New Years Day a year ago? I was up all night trying to think of a way out. I thought of how I lost Saya...how much time it's taken me to overcome that...if I lost Eve..."

He stopped talking. He couldn't bring himself to say it.

He crossed his arms and stood wordlessly. He began to walk ahead. Sven paused for a moment, but soon began to follow.

Sven didn't quite know what to say. This was the first time Train had mentioned anything about his own guilt. So he said the only thing that he knew for sure.

"I'm sorry too, Train..." Train turned back to see Sven's regretful face. "I didn't know that you were having such a hard time...and part of me didn't even care. I've failed you. Not just as your partner, but as your friend."

Train unhesitatingly put his hand on Sven's shoulder.

"You're both for a reason, and I wouldn't want anyone else for the job. If we both failed, both of us will just have to redeem ourselves..."

Sven nodded and walked to the little VW bug he had parked near the house and opened the trunk.

"Redeem ourselves, huh?" Sven chuckled. "Well, I hope this is a start."

Train tailed him curiously, and peered into the open trunk. He stepped back in surprise when he saw what was inside.

It was filled to the brim with arsenals. Enormous barreled guns and explosives, detonators of every kind, gun silencers, tranquilizers, _everything_.

Sven grinned.

"Do you really think I've been sitting around doing nothing for a whole year?"

Train returned his smile.

"I should've known." Train opened the car door and sat inside. "Let's go."

"What about them?" Sven motioned toward the house.

Train shook his head. "We shouldn't involve them. If our plan doesn't work, they could all pay serious time for trying to help save Eve." Train smiled. "Plus...I have all their plans." He pulled out a roll of papers from his jacket pocket. "It's really a two person operation."

Sven entered the car. "Sounds like my kind of job."

As they sat in the car Train turned to Sven.

"I can't believe you're actually driving around with all those weapons in the trunk. One bad bump in the road and we'd—"

"Explode, I know," Sven finished. "But what would you have me do? Run around with it in my suitcase? If I'm gonna go, I figure I might as well take you with me."

Train slouched in the passenger's seat.

"Hey, thanks buddy. I love that you know the true meaning of friendship. It makes me all warm and fuzzy inside."

Sven gave Train a sardonic grin and turned the key into ignition.

* * *

_Three weeks before:_

"La la la lalalala lalalala..." Z sang obnoxiously as he practiced his knife throwing.

"Brother, what would you like me to do with her?" Y swept a hand over Eve.

He sighed. Train's recent attack had been a nuisance, and he was dealt with effectively, but the next time, he planned on destroying him.

"Prepare her. This time I want her beautiful for our visitors."

X's hand rested against Eve's breast as she sat at his feet. She still could control the tentacles with her mind after they had been cut from her, she had not known that her imprisonment had been made so long for that purpose. That, and her brainwashing. She had never questioned it. Eve only remembered that X saved her, and that the far-away ghost images of Train and Sven had tortured her.

"Do you remember the faces of those men who beat you in that black room, Eve?"

Eve's eyes blanked out as she remembered that pain. She nodded.

"Aren't you eager to repay all the kindnesses they have showed you, my love?"

She smiled.

"Yes."

* * *

**Next chapter: ** Plans are made, promises have been broken, and the Eve Sven and Train knew is gone. What will they do when they discover the full extent of Eve's brainwashing? It's the preparation for the last battle and I hear help coming in the wind! Don't lose faith!

**Stay tuned...and review!! PLEASE REVIEW! please.... :)**


	9. Paradise Lost

Disclaimer: Black Cat is not mine.

Author's Note: Welcome to the anniversary chapter of my story!!! Yaaaayy!! I planned to get this thing out sooner, but it just kept growing and growing, and then I had severe writer's block, and then school started, and then I started neglecting my studies to finish it...lol...the sad part is that I haven't posted the other half b/c I haven't finished the last pages of it...it'll come soon enough though!

But here it is! As of January 1st, I've been writing this story for a full year! My god, I almost can't believe it! Please tell me what you think. Also, if you've gotten confused with anything in the story, please let me know so I can fix it. I appreciate so much those newcomers who have reviewed (Mr. Therapist, Rumiglion, NyuNyaUki, Bloodied Crimson, etc.). It warms my heart :) Especially because the 13th of January was my birthday...and BOY are there stories to tell...haha...so if you wanna give me a birthday/anniversary present for writing this monster chappie...you can always click the review button and let me know if you like it! Or you can just say "hi." Lol... Thanks so much for those who have been reading it. It gives a writer (even one who writes fanfiction) a wonderful feeling. Please enjoy!!

* * *

**Paradise Lost**

_...He was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter._

_2 Corinthians 12:4_

* * *

_Two and a half weeks before:_

_Where am I?_

There was the sound of water dripping, steady and rhythmic like the soft pulses of her heartbeats... Eve's conscious mind had reverted back to her days with Torneo. Eve of the present had fallen under layers of the dust caused by the painful memories of Eve of the past. Eve succumbed to a deep slumber after Train's attack on them just under a month before.

She shut off. Like a computer, or a car without access to a powersource. It was her body's way of saving Eve from insanity. The new powers they had given her body had tired her out and seeing Train in person was like seeing Santa Clause at 52. You lived a long time thinking he didn't exist, and when all of a sudden, he shows up, shock settles in.

The violent images of Train and Sven had disappeared in her sleep. It was always that way.

She remembered the good things like most people remember the youngest years of their childhood: a slide show of smiles, laughter, shadows of playful teasing, but even those good memories couldn't erase the beatings she had received in her hallucinations. Her greatest fear had always been for them to leave her, to end up despising her for what she was—and what she had become in her own eyes—a monster. Her greatest fear had become a reality in that room. Days felt like months and weeks like years until it seemed that her real life had been just the good dreams in between the torture. So though the good memories remained, the bad ones loomed over them to create a dense doubt that haunted her.

If she had the choice, she would have preferred the torture room than to reverting to a phantom of her past self. Eve would only resurface in her subconscious—in her dreams. When she woke, she could never remember the dream, just the dull ache of a lost happiness, of misplaced joy.

The past months were spent on drills and commands. They ordered her and she obeyed. If Eve had the luxury of choice between captivity and escape, she would have remained a captive. Her life was a time bomb. She wouldn't have known what would set it off or when. Eve would have stayed with her captors so that she might find a way to stop their apocalyptic destruction...

A year had passed like a dream. In the day, she lived nightmares, and in the night, gentle far off memories guided her to the unconscious. Train's attack on X, Y and Z had been like a bad dream, and she was powerless to stop her attack at the time...and she was so confused. When she had him face to face, he could only remember him as the man who had beat her in the hallucination room. The only thing that saved Train from death was his experience and the fact that she—the Eve that everyone loved and knew as just Eve—had resurfaced for a moment, so that when she had the perfect opportunity to kill him, she hesitated, and he escaped. But this hesitation did not go unnoticed.

A small sign of life stirred to her left. Eve heard gentle breathing and saw a black something shifting slightly above her.

"You're awake."

Eve's heavy eyelids lifted and she saw her.

"Y," she whispered.

Y's bangs swayed back and forth as she examined Eve attentively.

"You were talking in your sleep," she said.

Eve remained passive.

Y furrowed her eyebrows.

"You were repeating names. Over and over."

Eve tilted her head.

"What names?"

Her question did not denote curiosity. It was a hard, stiff question without feeling—as if it had been generated and said by a computer.

Y regarded her silently. She blinked slowly and her lips parted in a few soundless words. Then her words took form and sound until Eve began to understand the message she tried to convey.

"I don't remember." She smiled kindly. "They're very forgettable names."

* * *

_Present Day:_

Sven reclined in the cream-colored lounge chair in his hotel room. His beige suit jacket was thrown on the bed and his black tie was undone loosely around his neck. Between his lips was a half burned cigarette that glowed brilliant orange and lit up his face in the wan lamp light. He had allowed himself a moment of self-indulgence in his strict budget by serving himself alcohol from the mini fridge. Ice cubes clinked in the glass of smooth, caramel colored liquor. When the ancient hotel owner had given him the keys to the room, he mentioned proudly that it showcased an old-fashioned radio from the fifties. Sven clicked on the knob. Sven smiled when he realized that he didn't have to change the station. Whoever had played it last also had a fondness for jazz.

It was the velvety, hushed voice of a woman that rose in faint musical murmurs from the black netted speakers. After a few moments, he distinguished it as Billie Holiday. He remembered because her voice rang with the simplicity and sadness that had followed her most of her tragic life.

_A tragic life..._Sven mused as a glum smile played on his lips.

He took a few final drags from his cigarette and crushed it in the glass ashtray beside him. He closed his eyes as he rested his arms on the arms of the chair and listened to the lazy vibrations of the music rise from the soles of his feet to his chest, throat, and ears.

_**In my solitude, you haunt me with memories of days gone by...**_

As the minutes ticked slowly past, he began to drown in the black sea of those past thoughts that he had so many times tried to avoid...

_**In my solitude, you taunt me with memories that never die...**_

* * *

"_And they lived happily ever after," Sven said, closing the storybook. Eve had been twelve at the time, but she had a fond fascination for bedtime stories. Especially Sleeping Beauty. She loved Sleeping Beauty._

"_Happily ever after," Eve echoed. She looked at Sven with curiosity in her eyes. "What do you suppose that means, Sven?"_

_Sven was caught off guard. No one had ever asked him his insight on the psychology of happy endings._

"_Um...that they lived happily...ever after?"_

_She tilted her head in confusion._

_Sven sighed inwardly. He wasn't sure if he was very good at explaining things like this._

"_I mean, I think they didn't suffer after that. They were all happy for the rest of their lives," he offered._

"_Well, that's impossible," said Eve. "Bad things happen all the time. No one can really control them."_

_Sven shrugged._

"_Well, Eve, there are bad things, and then there are _bad_ things."_

_Eve blinked. _

"_What I mean," he explained, "is that it all depends on your definition of happiness. There's, 'I'm happy because things are going my way,' and there's, 'I'm happy because I have everything I need in life,' like family and friends that love you, and...I don't know, maybe even your own prince charming."_

"_Prince Charming?" Eve asked._

_Sven smiled dotingly._

"_Yeah. Don't all little girls dream about their Prince Charming?"_

_Eve stared at him for a few moments and blushed._

"_I guess," she whispered._

_Sven chuckled._

"_See? It's all in your definition of happiness. If you figure the characters in the story have each other...and love, peace, health...than you can assume they lived happily ever after, can't you?"_

_A small smile grew on Eve's face as she looked at him._

"_Yes...I guess you're right."_

* * *

"Happy endings are for fairy tales," Sven muttered into his glass. He tried unsuccessfully to forget the lasting memory-echo of Eve as a child.

**With gloom everywhere, I sit and I stare...I know that I'll soon go mad...**

A buzzing sound flew past his ear, and soon he felt the bite of an insect. Sven hissed and slapped the back of his neck. The alcohol slowed him down. He'd normally be able to avoid being bit.

_**I sit in my chair and filled with despair, there's no one could be so sad...**_

_**In my solitude...I'm afraid..**_

He stood. In four steps he reached the radio.

_**Dear Lord above, send me back my Lo—**_

The music ended with the click of a knob. Sven suddenly preferred silence.

"Sven."

Sven's heart stopped. He recognized that voice. Slowly, he looked up. Eve was sitting in his chair.

He gave a measured exhale and gripped a corner of the radio. She stood up and took a few steps toward him.

"Aren't you happy to see me?" she said with a sad tilt of her head.

He wanted to rush to her, to hold her, but he was frozen in place.

"How—?" he choked out.

She walked to him calmly and embraced him.

"I escaped," she whispered into his chest. He gradually returned the embrace. "Why didn't you find me?" she said. "What took you so long?"

Sven shook his head guiltily.

"Eve, I tried. I did, it's just—"

She loosened from his hold.

"You forgot about me...You were just using me."

Sven reached out for her, but stopped in midair. He lowered his hand.

"Don't say that."

"You did. Don't lie to me. All those years of taking care of me, of putting up with me and Train were just atonement for failing your partner Lloyd all those years ago. You raised a daughter because Lloyd couldn't raise his own, and you got another partner so that you'd somehow make it up to Lloyd for not betraying another."

Sven pounded a fist against the radio in frustration.

"Don't do that, Eve. Don't bring up the past just to explain my actions! Don't you know me better than that?" He inhaled slowly and went on in a gentler voice. "Lloyd wasn't only my partner, he was my best friend. It took a long time to overcome his death, but I did, and I went and lived my own life...I wasn't using you or Train as a pretext for my guilty endeavors. You deserve better than that." Sven finished with a weary sigh. "Both of you deserve better than that."

"I don't believe you."

Sven turned his head away and clenched his jaw in helpless defeat.

Eve smiled.

"But it's okay...I'll make you remember."

He fell against the radio with a dull thud as she pinned him up against it, her hair turned into thick rope.

"Why are you doing this?" he said as his eyes shut tight in resistance to the pain in his back.

Eve crept closer and pressed her lips to his neck.

"Because you love it."

She smiled against his skin, bared her teeth, and bit him.

He gasped sharply and his eyebrows furrowed as he felt warm liquid running down his neck. He was vaguely surprised when he realized it was blood.

"Please stop," he coughed out. "Please, Eve, this isn't like you..."

She didn't respond and dug her nails into his chest, but her nails weren't shape of dull human nails...the ends of her fingers were shaped like small knives. She pushed her hand forward and dragged it down down; his flesh made a sickening, muffled shredding sound.

Sven bit back a cry.

"Eve," he moaned, "why are you torturing me?"

"Oh Sven..." Eve said as she laughed softly, "because you're letting me."

"Please..." Sven begged. He was immediately stunned by the sudden hollowness in his voice...as if he had been talking to himself.

He opened his eyes as he leaned against the radio. The music was off. .

No one was in the room but him.

* * *

The switches in the control tower glowed brightly against the darkness of the otherwise unlit room.

X stood alone with Z, who kept watch.

"I need you to guard the perimeters while I'm gone," said X.

"Where are you going?" Z asked.

X smiled.

"I'm going to make sure our guests get a warm invitation." He held up two insects, mechanical in nature.

"Do you know what these are?"

The old man shrugged and shook his head.

"Beats me."

"These are nanomachine bugs. They work like mosquitoes but backwards, instead of sipping blood, they inject the victim with a serum that causes hallucinations."

Z tilted his head.

"We sure are using a lot of this cactus juice for these hallucination inducing nanomachines. It's a good thing you chose a desert to have our end-of-the-world party, or we'd have run out."

"It would not be wise to cut off our main supply of weaponry by distance. With Eve's hallucination room and the other things we plan to do, we'll need lots of it." X laughed. "We can rid the world of life, and leave them happy we did it."

* * *

Sven looked up as he heard the doorknob jiggle. He glanced at his suitcase. It was only a few feet away.

"Honey, I'm hooo—"

Train was jostled into the hallway. Sven pointed his suitcase at him, but realized who it was and relaxed.

"Where the hell have you been?" Sven asked wearily.

"Sorry," Train smiled. He held up a bottle of milk and a pair of brown bags. "I was getting dinner."

Sven threw the door open and walked back to his seat.

"Yeah yeah, come in."

Train walked in and flopped in a chair at a mini table beside the T.V.

"You know," he said as he sniffed the air behind Sven. "Whiskey makes you a little paranoid."

"I don't know what you're talking about," said Sven.

Train rolled his eyes.

Sven sat in his previous seat. He usually liked to stay sharp when he drank and smoked, but it was Christmas day, and nightfall had cooled the optimism he had felt earlier that morning when he and Train left Tearju's home together. He had a couple of extra drinks that he didn't really need. He wasn't drunk, but he wasn't exactly _sober_ either.

The ride during the day had been pretty quiet and nothing out of the ordinary occurred. If it had been up to Sven, he would have driven day and night nonstop to find Eve, but if he did, their fatigue would have made them useless on the battlefield—and when you're tired, you make mistakes. Plus, Train got unbearably irritable when he didn't get any sleep. He and Train still had a ways to go, but they'd reach Eve within the next couple of days.

"So are you gonna do this at every hotel we visit?" Train said. His eyes were on Sven's glass of whiskey.

"Train, we're three or four days drive from Eve. We have nothing to do but watch T.V., stare at each other, and look at old maps," Sven shook his head. "On second thought, I already looked at the maps. The quickest roads are marked up, so we have nothing to do but watch T.V. and stare at each other. I'm not in the mood for T.V., and I sure as hell don't wanna look at you, so I chose the next best thing."  
Sven raised the glass in his hand as proof. "And no, I'm not. It's too expensive."

Train's eyebrows quirked.

"You're extra sassy today," he said

"Well, it's a step up from bitterly cynical," Sven smiled finally.

Train tilted his head back in thought, then nodded with a smirk.

"Can't argue with you there..." He raised his arms triumphantly. "You have made great leaps in your pessimistic state of mind!"

Sven rolled his eyes as he lit a cigarette between his lips.

"How'd you pay for that? I thought you didn't have any cash," he said, glancing at the paper bags of fast food Train brought with him.

Train reached deep in his pocket and tossed Sven a brown leather wallet.

"You're pickpocketing now? I thought that was below you," Sven said. "Who's the unlucky victim?"

Train twisted the top off his milk.

"Look inside," he said.

Sven opened it and looked at the I.d.

A terribly familiar green haired man stared back at him from the photo.

"Used your credit card," Train grinned.

Sven flipped his wallet shut. He supposed he didn't recognize it because he tried to use it as little as possible.

"You're a pain in the ass," Sven grumbled and put the wallet in the inside pocket of his suit jacket.

Train opened the brown bag of fast food and hauled out a cheeseburger.

"Takes one to know one," he said as he took a big bite.

"_You're_ the real reason I drink," Sven complained.

Train grinned. He had come to recognize that different people dealt with crises in different ways. His way was emptying a bottle of cold milk on a roof (this harmless, juvenile way of dealing with his problems might have been due to his lost childhood—but Train would probably be more inclined to believe that as psychobabble) Sven's was chain smoking and drinking. He knew Sven wouldn't let him down when worst came to worst, so he let Sven do what he wanted. He wasn't his mommy, after all.

* * *

Daylight was just beginning to die at the west end of Tearju's property. Most of her guests had kept themselves occupied by taking time to prepare themselves physically for their impending battle. Tearju had kept herself busy by cooking for her guests, though Woodney was the only one who dared to taste anything she made. Her plans were done and memorized, she just had to wait for the others to learn them. River was practicing his sonic fist against Jenos' orichalcum gloves. His best attacks were for close combat, but he could defend himself from a distance. He devise a plan to get Jenos in close perimeters when he heard Leon overhead.

"Hey, need another sparring partner? Looks like River can't handle you," he laughed as he rode his surfboard in the air. Any animosity held between Jenos and Leon when they fought each other as enemies years before had evaporated into a fond and sometimes even irritable trust. He twisted upside down and put his fists on his hips.

"You mean you wanna make it a threesome?" River said.

Leon quirked an eyebrow.

"Well, when you put it that way...No."

"I'll take you on, kid," called Jenos. "I need a challenge."

"Hey hey hey!!" said River. "Hold on, I was totally kicking your ass just now."

Leon scowled.

"I am NOT a kid! Twenty-one years will turn you into a man!"

"No," laughed Jenos, "only a woman will turn you into a man!"

Leon blushed darkly, but the scowl remained.

"I'm gonna send you crying back to your mommy, Jenos," he said.

"Not if I send you first!"

"Hey wait a minute, I'm gonna kick both of your asses! Watch out!" cried River as he raised his fists.

They shared a discreet smile. They knew they could get the best fight out of River by making him angry.

"Shut up Mr. McFatty!" called Leon.

"Whaaattt?!?!"

River charged at him and threw him a long distance attack with his Sonic Fist.

"Take that!"

Leon avoided it by shooting up high into the air. He was just a yellow-white speck against violet, but both River and Jenos could see him against the dark sky. Leon paused and for a few moments, he didn't move.

"What? You scared to come down, _kid_?" River shouted.

Leon shot back down so quickly that it took the wind out of River.

"Hey, watch your landing! You almost squashed me!" cried River.

"Keep your panties on," Leon muttered as he adjusted the buckles on his board. Before River could open his mouth, he spoke. "Have you seen Sven and Train at all?"

"Stop trying to escape my wrath by changing the subject!"

Leon weaved up in the air out of anger. He towered over River.

"Listen to me for two seconds without trying to beat someone in a competition!"

"What's going on?" Jenos said as he walked up to them.

"Have you seen Sven and Train?" Leon repeated.

Jenos shook his head.

Leon pointed to the line of vehicles parked near Tearju's house across the field. Jenos scanned them and grimaced.

"Hey..." said River. "Where's that ugly piece of shit they call a car?"

Jenos rolled his eyes.

"Wow...of all people to be observant..."

"Heeeyy, what's that's supposed to mean?!" River made a fist.

"That little yellow Volkswagen is gone," Leon said gravely. "I can't believe we hadn't noticed sooner."

* * *

Sven and Train went to bed early that night because they had to get up early in the morning. They didn't bother to get in their pajamas for the same reason, traveling and sleeping in their day clothes cut valuable time out of the morning. Train slept on the bed that touched the wall because he had developed a terrible habit of falling off hotel beds. In theory, the wall on one side limited his chances. But that was only a theory.

Night crept slowly on.

As he slept, Train began to feel increasingly edgy. Hours passed, and he couldn't rid himself of that anxiety chewing on the borders of his muddy consciousness. He knew by Sven's measured breathing that he was just fine...but something was wrong.

That's when he heard it.

Sven began to talk in his sleep. It remained incoherent and difficult to decipher, but to Train, it sounded extremely painful. Like a unspeakable secret was tearing Sven apart inside.

Sven woke with a start and with a few gasping breaths, rose and abruptly left the room.

Train sat up and listened to Sven's heavy footsteps getting lighter and lighter as he walked further away.

* * *

Sven trotted down the open motel hallway. He felt confused, tormented.

He had a dream...or was it a vision? He didn't know anymore.

Eve had forgotten him, everyone...and reverted to her old self...

It was his greatest fear. He tried so hard to get her to trust him, to trust the good in the world. To see Eve return to a self that was so removed from everything so that she didn't even really live, was worse than watching her die.

"Sven."

It was a whisper: soft, childlike, familiar.

Sven's stomach lurched.

From where he stood, he could see the car.

"Not again," he groaned.

"Sven."

He whirled.

Eve had changed this time. She was not twenty...the age she should have been...her body had reverted to her twelve year old self.

"You're just a hallucination," he muttered.

She frowned.

"Don't say mean things, Sven."

Her arm transformed into a long, black whip.

"I'll make you sorry."

Sven backed away and began to run. He had not gone five steps, when he saw she stood in front of him, blocking his exit on one side. He turned to go the opposite way, and the same happened. She raised her arm and struck him.

* * *

After he was sure Sven had gone, Train turned on the lamp closest to him. As soon as he turned on the light, he heard a faint buzzing sound. He furrowed his eyebrows. It sounded like the erratic bumbling of an insect. It passed by his head, and he avoided it easily.

It swerved back around, obviously on a mission to bite Train.

"Go ahead..." Train narrowed his eyes at it as it buzzed at him. "Make my day..."

It sped at him and Train ducked. It caught a few stray hairs and sliced them as it flew by.

"Holy shit, that thing's fast!" he cried. He grabbed a newspaper Sven had been reading earlier that day and rolled it up.

The insect turned and performed the same maneuver, except it faked a left and went right instead.

"Damn," whispered Train to himself. "I swear mosquitoes get smarter every year...the world has GOT to stop polluting!"

The third try was less than successful for the insect than the first two. It was crushed against the wall with a newspaper.

"Thank god for evolution! Man prevails again!" Train raised his newspaper over his head like a baton.

Another buzzing sound interrupted Train's triumphant struggle. Train followed the noise until he was on the other side of the room. He looked down and scanned the floor, until next to the back leg of the loveseat, he noticed the body of the half buzzing insect on the rough burgundy rug. He knelt and picked it up. It was mechanically made. It buzzed for a few seconds and finally shut down. Swearing, Train crushed it between his fingers and rushed after Sven.

* * *

Despite the fact he knew that it was a hallucination, Sven could not avoid the black whip, or the pain it inflicted. He cried out repeatedly. Soon, Sven was afraid he'd hear the stirring of angry motel roomers to berate him. He'd have no explanation.

"Sven!" Train rounded a corner and looked at him breathlessly. "You've got nanomachines in your body! It's X, he's found us."

"There's a silver case in the car," Sven barked out as he gritted his teeth.

Train rushed to the car and picked up the case that hung in the back seat. When Train reached Sven, he opened it. Inside there were syringes and vials filled with clear liquids. Train prepared the needle and handed it to Sven, who was trying desperately to ignore the hallucination. Sven bit on his cigarette as he pushed up his sleeve and injected his quivering body. As he swallowed a groan, he marveled how Eve hardly made a sound during her injection. He had never received a more painful vaccination in his life. Slowly, he felt the signs of reality come upon him.

"This was just a cheap trick," muttered Sven as he rubbed life back into his arm. "He just wants us to know that he knows we're coming

"Yeah," Train said. He tossed Sven the mechanical insect he had been holding in his pocket. "I found this by your chair."

"_Great_," Sven grimaced and stood shakily. "Well by now we've all been infected by nanomachines...I guess it was my turn." He sighed. "Let's go and try to get some rest...though I doubt I'll be able to get much sleep tonight..."

Train nodded silently and with hands in his pockets, followed Sven back to the hotel room.

* * *

_Two weeks before:_

The night sky engulfed their shadowed figures wrapped in the barren womb of desert. X observed Eve meticulously. It was those _dreams_. She had been dreaming of her past life. A few weeks had passed when she had confessed that she had a dream where a man had bought her some cold, sweet substance in an edible cone shaped container. Eve related this dream with a sense of wistful happiness. When X asked her about the man in the dream, she furrowed her eyebrows and said she couldn't remember his face...but X thought, in time, that those memories might come back, and perhaps it would be better to leave them behind once and for all...

Eve stared into the dense night, closed her eyes, opened them and began to speak, really speak, for the first time in months.

"You brothers," Eve chanted, "who are mine,

Poor people, near and far,

Longing for every star,

Dream of relief from pain,

You, stumbling dumb

At night, as pale stars break,

Lift your thin hands for some

Hope, and suffer, and wake,

Poor muddling commonplace,

You sailors who must live

Unstarred by hopelessness,

We share a single face.

Give me my welcome back."

A few desert crickets chirped in response.

"What a lovely poem," said X.

"Lonesome Night, by Hermann Hesse," Eve replied blankly.

She blinked and her pupils formed. She rested her forehead in her hand.

"I don't...I don't know how I know that."

Tears formed in her eyes as she remembered a faint image of reading the poem to the same green haired man who had tortured her. She saw another, a brunette with a tattoo on his collarbone, laughing at a comment he had made at her expense...but in the memory, she was not displeased....despite all the pain they had caused, she was indescribably and inextricably happy.

"Shh," X consoled. "Its just a lost memory. Don't worry. Those won't bother you anymore...just wait a little longer and I'll fix it for you."

She remained silent, but he noticed that something belayed emotion in her eyes.

* * *

Morning cut through the cheap blinds of the hotel window.

Sven had fallen asleep in his chair and Train, snoring on the bed closest to the wall. His head lolled off the edge and, as natural gravity would have it, his hair stuck out straight from under him.

They rose in the same way they had the day before (with Train falling off the uncomfortable hotel bed with a loud THUMP, and Sven being awakened by the sound), and continued traveling. No one bothered them. They had turned off their cells and taken precautions by driving on side roads so as not to be found by their friends. When they were ready, the slammed the car door and started the car. After a few tries, and a few of Train's exasperated groans, the car started and they were off. They were only a day's drive from Eve.

A droning sound issued from behind them.

"Sveeen," Trained warned.

"It's not the car!" he retorted crankily. "The muffler's fine."

"If we keep having car troubles," Train said, "I'll just leave this heap and walk. It'll be faster."

Sven ignored him.

"The road's a little more congested than usual today," Sven commented as he glanced at the rear view mirror. He did a double take. "Wait..."

"Heeeyyyy!"

They both looked to their right in surprise as they saw Woodney's motorcycle packed with Annette riding behind. The deep humming sound they had heard emanated from the little old motor on the bike. Train, on the passenger's side as always, stuck his head out of the car and saw a caravan of vehicles following them. Jenos, Rins, Belze and Sephiria rode in Jenos' car, and Leon, Tearju, Kevin, and the rest of Leon's gang sat in his old VW bus.

"Where do you think you're going without us??" Annette said.

"We didn't want to involve everyone," Train said.

"She's just as much a part of our family, Train, don't hog her!" Woodney cried.

Train smirked.

"So all of you really want to come?"

"You're a dumbass for even asking that question," shouted Annette. "When we found out you guys had left without a word, a few of us wanted to personally hunt you down just to KILL you!"

Sven laughed.

"Sorry."

"Sorry?! You just better make sure that it doesn't happen again!"

They fell back behind the little bug and followed in the beeline headed straight towards Eve.

"You know," Train said, leaning back into his seat comfortably. "This feels kind of nice, all of us together riding into the sunset to save the Princess."

Sven rolled his eyes.

"First of all, I don't understand you since leaving them behind was your idea in the first place, and second of all—Riding into the sunset?" Sven took a sidelong glance at his partner. "Train, it's noon."

Train smiled, shrugged, and closed his eyes.

"Wake me when we get there."

* * *

_Two Weeks Before:_

"She has been dreaming of them," X said, as if to himself. "She still remembers something about her past life."

"So? As long as she does her job and shuts up about it, I won't be tempted to kill her," came Z's caustic reply as he picked at his toes.

X exhaled patiently.

"The next time they would have seen each other, she would have despised them, but I did not realize until now how much more infinitely painful and wonderful for them it will be when she does not even _remember_ her past life. And if she doesn't remember them, there will be no danger of retaliation when they meet."

X paused. He looked at the woman whose golden eyes shimmered at him from a dark corner of the room in the control tower. The room was at the center of the mechanical device that stood in the middle of the desert. It was an ingenious mixture of biological machinery, so that part of it was living flesh, and the other part was metal and bolts and sophisticated mainframes that operated it. It was slowly growing underground like the roots of a gnarled tree. It stretched for hundreds of miles underground unbeknownst to everyone but Eve and her protectors.

"Will you go to her, sister?"

To the untrained eye, she looked unmoved. But he could see that she had stiffened with the request.

"It is not an order," he added gently.

Her expression softened.

Y inclined her head and bowed, exiting the room.

"What does _that_ mean?" asked Z, dropping himself into a chair.

X's eyes lowered. For a moment, a sign of sadness swirled in his dark iris. He blinked.

It disappeared.

He turned his head to look at the old man.

"That she will honor my request."

* * *

The group stopped and made camp in the mountains at nightfall. There were no hotels at the edge of the desert—who'd build a hotel in the middle of nowhere anyway?

After getting an earful from each and every one of their offended friends, Sven and Train were exhausted.

"I had no idea they'd be so angry about it," Train said, rubbing his forehead and pacifying an impending headache.

"It's my fault for listening to you," Sven said with a muffled groan.

"Yeah, it is," Train nodded. "You should know better than that."

Sven shot him a glare. Train returned it with a debonair smile.

"Guys, Tearju wants to talk to all of us. Plus Sven, she told me you were going to discuss the plans Train _stole,_" Rins said as she stood in the doorway of their tent.

"Good, I couldn't understand any of that shit in the first place," said Train with a yawn. He was rewarded with a slap to the back of the head by both Sven and Rins.

"If you weren't so good with your gun, I would have ended our partnership a long time ago," Sven muttered.

"Ooooh, that sounds vaguely sexual," said Train. He continued teasing in a girly voice. "Svenny baby, you're so _bad._"

Sven rolled his eyes.

"You disgust me in more ways than I can count."

They walked to the center of their camp.

"We are a day's drive from our objective," said Tearju, who stood in the center. "We will reach her by nightfall on New Year's Eve. We are all here for our own reasons, but we share in common our desire to save Eve. It is certain that armies all over are gathering together to destroy her to save the world. They have no scruples, and a believes a girl's life is a small price to pay. Suspicion of this impending apocalypse has somehow reached the United Nations, and the place will be heavily monitored by the time we get there. Fortunately, unlike them, _we_ know exactly what's going on. We not only have to immobilize their forces, but we must hope that along with the world, we save Eve as well." Tearju stepped back and Sven took her position. A hush fell over the camp as he stood with his hat firmly in place, half shielding his eyes from the eyes of his audience. He set no time aside for formalities.

"Jenos, Sephiria, and Belze will take on the first attack of their base, leave open a weakness for a small team to go in unnoticed in the rear, and fall back to join River, Kevin, Tomoe, and Leon to concentrate on keeping the foreign and native armed forces at bay. Silphy, Woodney, and the rest of Leon's group will be in charge of keeping their radios scrambled so they can't regroup."

Train remembered that the last one was actually Sven's idea. He had looked over Tearju's plans and found a flaw. He guessed years working in the IBI had given Sven a little insight on the mental processes of organized groups. Sven suggested that they should keep a group set aside in the mountains for scrambling signals.

"Soldiers work by routine," Sven said. "If we break their routine, we have a bigger advantage because they can't fight in the orderly way that they're used to."

He pointed to himself.

"I, along with Tearju, Rins, and Train will go inside to save Eve. Rins is in charge of breaking things up from their control room with Tearju, and Train and I will take care of getting Eve out in one piece."

Train smiled. He and Sven had finally reached a conclusion on saving Eve. Train wasn't against holding Sven back from saving Eve, he just didn't want him to go to that room for the wrong reasons. If Sven had entered that room feeling guilty for all the wrongs he believed he committed, he'd be more concerned with receiving a punishment from Eve than saving her. He had to get Sven into the right frame of mind for the job. That's what their partnership meant.

"Quick question." Train glanced behind him as Silphy came out of the closely knit circle with crossed arms. "Why am I being sent to a control room to scramble signals with a bunch of kids—no offense Woodney—instead of fighting with the others?"

"None taken," Woodney replied with a unaffected shrug.

Sven's head tilted upward. So did his hat. Silphy saw a hard glint in his eyes, but she knew it wasn't because he was cross, it was because of the responsibility—and maybe the guilt—that strained him.

"We put certain people in certain groups for a reason," he said simply. "Guns are good for long distances, and keep people far away. You're the only one we're sending there good enough with a gun to keep any interference off. If they find you out, you'll have a hell of a time trying to keep them away and all of you safe. You've also got one of the most important jobs because if they can organize their attack patterns against the our team out in the field, our already dangerous plan gets more dangerous really quick."

Silphy nodded humbly and Sven turned to the rest of them.

"We need anyone who specializes in close combat in the field. That's why River's Sonic Fists and Leon's Wind will help us out. Both are pretty versatile and can be used for attacks on many people without causing serious injuries as well as powerful enough to be used for tanks, cannons, and the rest. The people in that group will convene with Sephiria, Jenos, and Belze, who have devised a plan to fight as efficiently as possible with our small numbers. As Chronos members who once had authority over them, they, more than anyone, know how the armed forces work. They also know better than anyone how to counter them."

Rins smiled. Mildly, she was surprised that Sven had settled back to his old self so quickly. There was still that same sadness lingering in the way he walked, but there was a little something of hope there too. And she couldn't be more grateful for that.

"So now that you guys know what's going on, I suggest you do what you need to do and talk to your groups so that you can memorize your plans, if you haven't memorized them already. Questions?"

No one had any. Sven nodded.

"Good. You're dismissed."

After everyone had left murmuring to themselves about their duties, Sven and Train went up to Rins.

"Was all that really necessary?" Sven asked. He wasn't really one for public speaking.

"Yeah, it was. It was to show you that we're all in this together. That we know what we signed up for and we're set about it—just in case you were thinking of running away again."

Train and Sven glanced at each other. The thought might have crossed their minds. Images of leaving them without working vehicles or gasoline had pervaded their thoughts—especially after all the scolding.

"We know better now than to get all of you angry," Train said good naturedly. "It won't happen again."

Sven silently agreed.

Fortunately, they both meant it.

* * *

_Two weeks before:_

Eve sat on the floor, leaning against the wall as she stared at nothing in particular. She vaguely remembered a place of water and stone, where she had been bathed and wounds had been healed. Then she had woken in a room of darkness where she had suffered because of two young men. X had saved her...and then she hurt someone she loved dearly...but the details were blurry and painful. When she woke up, she never remembered.

The rooms in the place where she was in now, were strange. They were mechanical in nature, but reminiscent of a human heart. There were long veins, blue and violet, that glowed and lit the rooms eerily. She blinked as the door opened. Light flooded in and bathed her body.

A long shadow loomed in the doorway.

Footsteps echoed in the small enclosure. The door was closed again.

Y lowered herself to her knees and gazed at Eve's unresponsive eyes. She traced two fingers across her cheek. Nothing.

She wound her arms around Eve's back and lifted her, propping her up against her own body. As she held her, Y began to weep.

The woman touched her forehead to Eve's.

"I will help you forget the pain," she murmured, closing her eyes.

Y embraced Eve tighter in the darkness of the room and began to glow a soft pink color. Her tears flew from her like the dying sparks of a flame.

Eve let herself be held by the woman who had offered her compassion. To her, Y felt warm...like a mother. Eve saw the faces of those she had once loved, but one by one, they escaped her...in the manner that snowflakes melt in one's hand and drip to the ground. Train...and Sven. She smiled involuntarily.

Now they were gone.

Two final memories were purged and wiped clean.

* * *


	10. In the Land of Nod

_**Author's Note:** Well, it's a little late, but it's here. Let's not talk about how busy I've been. It's sad. I hope you guys like this chapter, it kind of delves a little deeper into each of our characters and why they've committed themselves to helping Eve. Please review, just to say that you like what you're reading...and again, if you don't understand something, let me know so I can fix it. I'm more than open to helping my readers' comprehension of the story!! I am deeply grateful for all of those who have reviewed: Lani-Spades, Bloodied Crimson, Mr. Therapist, NyuNyaUki, Rumiglion, Arcon 1, Greatfun2, MasterSprtn117, and Shadowfire125. It's been a while since the start of this story, and some of you have been there near the very beginning. You have been very encouraging and understanding (even with those terrible cliffhangers I tend to leave...lol...). I am so thankful! Now, please enjoy!_

* * *

**In the Land of Nod**

_And Cain went out from the presence of the LORD, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden._

_Genesis 4:16_

* * *

That night, a calm and cold foreboding blanketed the camp and filled the group with restlessness. A few thought that night might be the last one they had on earth. Another few chose not to think about it and engage in other activities. Still others, threw caution to the wind and went about things normally. River was one of them.

"Siiiiillllphy!"

He slid the flap aside to her tent. She was crouched over a lantern that she was desperately trying to light. She had sat in front of it for a good fifteen minutes with no results.

"What do you want?" she said crossly.

"I thought...." he pursed his lips and hopped from one foot to the other. "That we might share tents tonight!"

She looked up with an eyebrow quirked.

"You know how I'm..." he looked from side to side and began to whisper. "...I'm afraid of the dark—I can't light my lantern—and I want to sleep with you!"

"I don't think so. I have things to do."

"Like whaaaat?" he groaned.

"Like lighting this damn lantern so I can go over my plan for tomorrow."

River sighed impatiently.

"I've seen you go over that thing like thirty times. It isn't going to change and write itself over if you don't look at it for a while. If you open it up in the morning, it'll still read the same."

She sniffed unaffectedly as she tried to keep the smoke out of her eyes while simultaneously blowing on fire in the small, old lantern. The wick was older than Methuselah, and so was the oil. Silphy had found it among her grandfather's old camping things before leaving and thought it was usable. She was having a hell of a time lighting it.

"Well, with the world ending and all," she said, "I should memorize everything I have to do before tomorrow. It's kind of—oh, I don't know—extremely important?"

River sighed and crawled inside the tent.

"Let me help you with that," he murmured.

"I got it," she said. Her eyes were a little bloodshot and a vein was popping out on her forehead. It happened whenever she got mad. He suddenly realized how much the trip and the fight for Eve had taken its toll on her. They both had in common a great fondness for children (a partiality that might promise them many in the future). Child abuse was something both especially hated, and it set them in a special bond with Eve, because they knew of her past and loved her in spite of it-or perhaps even more because of it. Her ability to overcome her hardships and live a normal life was remarkable. Admiration often breeds love. River knew Silphy was more tired than she let on, but she was so strong in so many ways, that it took a moment of weakness for him to even see it.

His hands covered hers and he heard her gasp softly in surprise and glanced up to see her eyelids flutter with the contact. He never told her, but he loved it when she reacted to him that way. Like she was always surprised that when skin touched skin, it produced a little electricity that ran through the heart and lungs and somewhere deeper that ended nowhere and kept going. He knew it too, because that same feeling ran through him whenever they touched.

She retreated with her hands folded on her lap, and he dealt with the unruly lantern for all of five seconds before it went out and left them in complete darkness.

"Riveerrr!" she groaned. "Ugh, I should have known. You couldn't even light your _own_ lantern! I swear, sometimes you make me wanna—"

She never finished. River might have been dense at times, but he knew how to seize good opportunities when he got them.

Who knows? Maybe he was not so unaffected by what might have been his "last night on Earth" after all.

* * *

Jenos sat, brooding in his tent.

He had been thinking terrible things all day and somehow, he couldn't stop himself. He thought that Rins was overworking herself and that she should get some rest—but of course he hadn't been able to tell her since he barely saw her anymore...

He remembered when he saw Rinslet on the border of death after Z had attacked her, Eve, and Train with X a year before.

"_Where is she?!"_

_The yelling could be heard far along the hall._

"_She's in my room," said Annette. "Try to relax. You should be calm when you see her."_

"_Relax?! She's got broken ribs and knife wounds everywhere! Three knives! How the hell am I supposed to relax? I swear, I'm gonna find that son of a bitch and kill him with my bare hands!"_

_He felt a hand on his shoulder. _

"_Get ahold of yourself. She'll live. Now, stop whining and go see her."_

_Jenos faced twisted in anger, and he turned around to see Sven standing in front of him with dull, sad eyes. Seeing Sven that way sobered Jenos. He had heard about Eve before he had arrived. They had kidnapped her and not even Train could stop them from doing it._

_Jenos slowly straightened himself, and nodded at Sven mutely. Sven tiredly took his hand off Jenos' shoulder and put it in his pocket._

_When Jenos entered Annette's room, he gasped. To be told she had been severely hurt was completely different than to see her covered in blood and bandages._

_She was pale, white as a sheet. Her hair was in disarray and the freshly changed gauze on her chest was already stained with blood._

_He sat down at her side and reached for her left hand. She moaned softly, either in response to his touch, or perhaps the pain, but remained unconscious._

"_Rins," he whispered into her hand. "Rins...I promise I won't let this happen to you again. Next time, I'll protect you..."_

Jenos shook his head dazedly. If they had done that do Rins, he couldn't imagine what they had done to Eve. He _had_ to speak to Rins as soon as possible.

* * *

Belze and Sephiria stood at the edge of camp. They were the lookouts for the next few hours. They stood in a comfortable silence earned only by knowing each other for many years.

"You know Sephiria, you've changed."

Sephiria looked up in mild surprise at Belze. He had broken the silence between them, but that was not what had surprised her. It was what he had said.

"How?" she said.

Belze smiled at her and sighed.

"Your old self would have joined the armed forces to save the world for the greater good. The loss of a young girl would be lamentable, but the importance of the world would have been much heavier in your eyes."

She nodded thoughtfully.

"You're right. I suppose I _have_ changed."

Sephiria sat down on one of the many boulders common in the edge of the mountainous desert they were in. Belze watched her intently.

"I think that perhaps I have found a kinship with Eve. She is so young and has suffered so much hardship....but I know that if she were to choose, she would choose us to save the world and lead her to destruction. I know she would be afraid, but I know that is what she would choose. Perhaps, that is why I am helping her."

"That's a strange reason," chuckled Belze. Sephiria looked away.

"But don't mistake it either. I am also going to destroy X, Y, and Z. I have a personal agenda towards them."

"For Chronos?"

"For myself. For the lost time after Chronos disintegrated. For their evil."

"That sounds more like you," said Belze. A smile crept on his lips. "But you're still changed."

For a moment a spark of curiosity lit her eyes, and warmth swirled in her bright blue irises as she regarded Belze, but she blinked and it went out. Years of masking her emotions had conditioned her to doing it even afterwards. "Why are you helping Eve?" she asked. Belze was silent for a while and sat beside her.

"I've never told you, but I had a sister. Gloria. She was older than me by fourteen years. Our parents had died as casualties in the war and we were all we had after that. She took it upon herself to be a surrogate mother. She had a soft voice, stern but kind, and a laugh that could melt anyone into a puddle of themselves. And beautiful hands. Gloria had beautiful hands. She never dated anyone because she was too busy taking care of me, though I suspect she had fallen in love with a neighbor who would come to do chores around the house once in a while. He was scruffy looking and strong...reminded me of a lumberjack. I hated him because I thought he would take her away, and because I hated him—foolishly, as a jealous child does without a good reason—they never passed the stages of friendship. I was six and she was twenty." he sighed, and a morose gravity settled over him. "She was sick. She had been sick for years and she never had told me...she was good at hiding it. I had suspected it, but I wasn't sure. One day, she was pinning laundry out on the clothesline, and she fell. Gloria never got up again. I buried her and left. Sometimes I go and visit, and there are always fresh flowers on the grave." He ended the story with a hint of sadness in his light brown eyes. There were many things he regretted in the past, but he knew there was nothing he could do about them in the present. He shrugged. "Gloria was my mother for such a long time that I've forgotten my real mother's face and put her face there instead. She had a fiery personality most of the time and was dangerous to be around when mad. The only things that cooled her anger were flowers (though if I used those too much, she'd get immune for a while) and her sickness. She looked nothing like Eve, either; she was a brunette with dark eyes and long, thick, black eyelashes. She died too soon. I don't want the same fate for Eve."

Sephiria had been engrossed in the story and she looked at him in a way she never had before.

"You've changed too, Belze. We have both become better."

His eyes flickered up at hers.

"Do you think its because of Eve?" he asked.

Emotions in Sephiria's eyes tumbled over each other until they became a whirling mass of confusion and pain. She blinked.

"Perhaps..." she whispered.

Belze looked at the starry night sky.

"What do you think you'll do after this is all over?"

He didn't see Sephiria look at him with gentle eyes and a fond smile. She turned away before she could be caught, and shrugged.

"I'm tired of fighting in ways I thought I never would be. My hands are tired, my mind is numb." Her voice fell into a steady whisper. "I like the sea."

"You want to live by the sea?"

She nodded mutely.

"That's funny," Belze said.

She stared at him inquisitively.

"Why is it funny?"

He looked at her. She couldn't read his emotions.

"The sea reminds me of you," he said.

Sephiria's eyes widened a little in surprise as she looked at him. No one had ever been so bold with her. Ever.

"It's true," he said with a shrug, and looked up at the sky again.

Nothing else was said between them, but the silence was much sweeter than before.

* * *

Sven walked out of his tent and meandered towards Tearju's. She had expressed her desire to speak with him after their meeting. He paused at her tent door and cleared his throat.

"Come in, Sven" she called, recognizing him before he identified himself.

He bent over, opened the flap, and stepped inside.

She was making hotcakes. He dimly wondered what her fascination with cooking was, when all she ever produced were black, scary looking lumps of questionable matter. He loved to cook, but his cooking actually produced _edible_ food.

"Want some?" she asked, holding up the pan of burnt hotcakes.

"No thanks," he said, fingering the edge of his hat should said contents fly if she happened to trip.

"Very well."

Tearju put down the pan next to a pair of flaming Bunsen burners and shut them off. Her back stayed to him.

"I have something that I must confess to you before we enter this mission," she said.

Sven's eyebrows furrowed.

"What is it?"

Tearju turned around with her head bowed. She was visibly having difficulty expressing what she wanted to say. She heaved a sigh.

"The chances of saving Eve are...slim."

Sven frowned.

"We already knew this would be a difficult mission to begin with," he said.

Tearju shook her head vigorously.

"I've misled you."

She put a hand to her forehead.

"Her chances....her chances are next to nothing."

He was silent, and then he turned away her.

"What her her chances?" he whispered. "Give me the numbers."

She looked away, and remained silent.

"The numbers!" he repeated vehemently.

Tearju lowered her eyes and sighed.

"Almost impossible," she said. "A million to one, if she's still alive."

He turned back and towered over her. She pressed herself against the main pole that held up her tent.

"Why are you telling me this now? After all that's happened? After all we've done?!"

He punched the pole behind her. His knuckles crashed and lines of blood trickled down his bent fingers. The sound of the fist hitting the metal pole startled her, so that when Tearju flinched, her glasses slipped off her nose and fell to the ground.

She looked up and saw herself reflected in his anger filled eyes.

"I'm telling you so that you are prepared for the worst," she said. "Just in case..."

Sven gripped the metal pole behind her.

"I've been prepared for the worst for a whole year!" he bit out. "Just when I begin to allow myself a glimmer of hope, you want to destroy it?"

"Forgive me," she whispered. "I didn't mean to harm you."

His face softened.

"I—" he began, and faltered. His light hair swept over his eyes and grazed Tearju's forehead as they stared at each other, noses almost touching. It's as if a spell had been cast with the absence of her glasses. Suddenly, she was not so very different from Eve. Suddenly, she _was_ Eve, except perhaps, for her eyes. Eve's eyes were not green, but a vivid violet.

They barely breathed. Sven inched closer and stroked his thumb on the soft skin of her cheek. Sven held his breath as the space between their faces decreased. Their lips brushed, but he hissed as if he had been burned, and backed away. He looked horrified.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I'm so sorry." And hastily, he retreated, leaving a very confused Tearju behind.

* * *

Rins was walking alone between the tents. She was carrying a few maps that Sven had marked up so she could help direct the flow of their groups in different directions the next day. If the military forces saw them all coming from one direction, they'd be much easier to fight. In the morning, their camp would be separated and travel in three groups. The rejoining part was easy. If they didn't succeed in stopping X, Y, and Z or saving Eve—the world would end and it wouldn't really matter that much. If they did somehow save the world again—though Rins had her doubts about coming clean through twice in a row—they'd meet in the small town Train, Sven, and Eve had lived in previously.

Rins hummed to herself as she thought and that took the edge off her small headache.

"Hey Rins."

She stopped, and looked to her left for the owner of the deep, soft voice, and saw nothing. When she looked to the right, a shadowy figure stood beside a poorly lit tent. Rins squinted her eyes.

"Who's there?" she asked cautiously.

"No one," the voice said, and walked up to her slowly.

Her hands itched for her gun. She dropped all her maps and pulled it out.

"I'm not asking again," she said.

Jenos laughed as he stepped into the light.

"It's just me, calm down."

She gave him a disproving look.

"Calm down? What are you doing scaring people like that? And I almost shot you for Chrissake! What's going on in that head of yours?"

He bent down to pick up her forgotten maps.

"I felt a little playful. Don't hold it against me."

She huffed at him as he stood with her supplies in his arms.

"Where to?" he said.

She pointed to where her tent was supposed to be. Clear on the other side of camp. He sighed.

They walked.

"So are you doing alright?" asked Jenos. "We haven't seen each other for a while."

"I know. With me dealing with Tearju, Train, Sven, and you making plans with Sephiria and Belze, we've hardly had any time to have—"

"Sex?"

"A _conversation_," Rins corrected wryly.

"Well, we haven't had time for _that_ either," Jenos laughed.

They both walked quietly together for some time until they reached her tent.

Jenos sighed. He looked down of the map in his hand.

"What is it?" Rins said when he didn't raise his head.

"There's something I need to ask you," he said.

"What?" she repeated.

His bright, dark eyes lifted up and met hers.

"I—"

"Heey!"

They looked up to see Train standing behind them with his hands in his pockets.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Jenos asked coldly.

""Oh, did I come at a bad time?" said Train, cocking an eyebrow.

"Not rea—" Rins began.

"Yes," Jenos cut in.

Train sighed.

"I just came to ask what time we were leaving in the morning. I'm going to go for a walk and I don't know when I'll be back."

"You came all the way out here to ask me that? Your tent's on the other side of camp! Why didn't you ask Sven?"

Train shrugged coolly.

"Couldn't find him."

Jenos furrowed his eyebrows at Train and cocked his head to the side in curiosity.

"What are you planning?" he asked, narrowing his eyes at Train.

Train crossed his arms and grinned.

"I'm planning on witnessing the wonders of nature!"

"Yeah, wonders of nature my ass," Rins said. "You're up to something."

"Well, technically, if your ass were involved, it would be Jenos witnessing your natural wonders."

Rins glared at Train.

Train smirked. Jenos could tell he was amused.

"Tonight is the night to do your _thing_!" Train cried, throwing his hands up.

"Traiiin," warned Rins.

He laughed.

"You guys are delaying your suffering by not telling me what time we're leaving tomorrow morning!"

"Five," both admitted with a simultaneous eye roll.

Train smiled in satisfaction.

"Okay, you know the time, so go," Jenos added.

"Thanks," Train said. He walked past them with a final wave.

Rins entered her tent with a sigh. Jenos followed her determinedly.

"Rins..." she turned to see a very serious Jenos staring at her. "I don't want you to come."

"What?" she asked incredulously. She backed away. "What are you saying?"

"I..." he faltered. "After that incident...where you were stabbed by Z, and I saw you half dead..."1

Jenos raised his head and looked her squarely in the eye.

"Rins, you were five different shades of purple, and I'm not just talking about your hair. You had broken ribs, your injuries wouldn't stop bleeding...for a while, I—" He bowed his head. "I thought I was going to lose you..."

Her face softened and she caressed his cheek.

"But you didn't. And you won't."

She kissed him, a peck at first, but the kiss deepened. He groaned into her as she held on to his neck.

"Rins.." he whispered.

She smiled against him and broke the kiss.

"This is something I have to do, Jenos. I have to save Eve...this is my chance to help."

He sighed and held her hands. She placed them on the small of her back and fell into his chest. Her hands fisted his black suit jacket.

"I love you, you stupid man," she said, her voice muffled by his shirt.

He pulled back and lifted her chin. Her bright eyes shined with unshed tears. He gave her a dim smile.

"And I love you, you silly thief."

Jenos kissed Rins tenderly, hands wandering through her clothes and skin until he lost himself in her arms.

* * *

Leon sat with Kevin McDougall, Tomoe, and Woodney around the campfire. Conversation had been safe, and strayed away from the harsher, confrontational issues. For a while, they had remained speechless, letting only the crackling fire fill the silence.

"Eve saved me," said Leon enexpectedly. He broke the unsaid promise that had been between them. He suddenly wished to speak of her, to say her name.

"How?" said Tomoe.

"She led me away from the Apostles of the Stars," said Leon. "She changed my life. How can I just sit by and let someone else take hers away?"

Kevin nodded.

"She's a remarkable girl. I mean woman—" he corrected himself. "God, nine years flew by so fast. I feel so old calling her a woman. She was only eleven when I met her."

"I was only twelve or thirteen when we met," Leon said. He smiled. "I kinda had a crush on her. She whipped my ass just to teach me a lesson—and it was a damn good one too."

Kevin smirked.

"I know. I was there, remember? And later on, nothing happened?"

Leon shook his head.

"She said she was interested in someone else. But I've got Leila now. She's always been there for me. I've fallen in love the slow way, but it's good and it's real." Leon sighed. "What about you?"

Kevin grinned.

"The search never ends."

Woodney and Tomoe nodded.

"I hear you," they said simultaneously.

A twig snapped. All four of them looked up and in the direction of the noise.

"Hey, who's there?" Kevin called out.

A figure dressed in black came out of the shadows. He had long, black hair that was tied in a low ponytail at his back. He carried a long orichalcum mantle with him.

"Good evening gentlemen," he said.

"Lin Shaloee, former Chronos Number ten, right? What are you doing here now?" Kevin said.

Lin shrugged.

"Sorry I'm late," he said. "I've been gathering data."

He threw a disk at Leon.

"That says all you need to know about our enemies' defenses. Show it to your superiors."

"Superiors?" Tomoe questioned.

Lin smiled. "Sorry, I forget that sweepers work differently. We assassins are used to hierarchal order."

He turned.

"You leavin'?" said Kevin.

"Yes," Lins said, and disappeared before another word was said.

"That was weird," Leon whispered to Woodney. Woodney nodded gravely.

* * *

"I knew you'd come here."

Train looked out into the shadows. His eyes turned into slits, then relaxed. He smiled as he saw the silhouette of the familiar hat and the slow, steady gait of his partner.

"Oh yeah? What's your reasoning?"

"You like heights" Sven said simply.

Train nodded.

They stood on the cliff that overlooked the desert. The cliffs surrounded the borders of the horizon. Only a few cacti littered the dust near and far...and even they had a somber and decaying countenance.

It was a dead and desolate place; what the earth must have been like when God sent Cain East of Eden and into the Land of Nod. The Land of Nod had been a forsaken place.

"I can't believe we'll both be seeing Eve tomorrow," Train said suddenly. "After all this time..."

Sven lifted his hands in the very deliberate motions of lighting a cigarette. To Train it seemed as if he was putting in all his concentration and effort in the process...as if even something as normal and mundane as that was a difficult process.

"Sven..." Train began.

"Do you ever feel like you're walking on eggshells?" said Sven. He looked up, and Train knew something had happened between the time he had last seen him and now that weighed on his partner heavily.

Train furrowed his eyebrows.

"What do you mean?"

Sven frowned.

"Tomorrow is New Year's Eve. New Year's Day marks a year since Eve's kidnapping. It's funny how this year has passed...time doesn't fly. It's never gone by more slowly." He sighed and put a hand to his forehead. "I'm talking about faith. Can faith ever be unshakable? Can it be grounded in something solid?"

Train looked down.

"Sometimes, if you practice long enough." He shrugged. "I question myself all the time, but I don't let a lack in faith cripple me from doing what I know needs to be done. Sometimes, you gotta charge blindly hoping you'll do your very best. You won't always know the outcome."

"Sounds like fun," Sven scoffed.

Train grinned.

"Sometimes it _is_."

They were silent for a little while longer, then Sven broke the silence again.

"I never told you of my vision...the one I had with Eve."

"I figured you'd tell me when you were ready," said Train.

Sven nodded and slowly began.

"Two weeks ago, I had been working on a few special bullets for our mission, for your gun. It was the last in a line of many projects I had undertaken. I had been working in the garage nonstop and had fallen into the habit of sleeping and eating there. It was just easier to wake up and eat and work in the same place, I guess. There was where I had my last vision. I've trained my Glaspar eye for combat and now I can use it at will, but I won't ever be able to control all the visions. Sometimes they come in broad daylight and paralyze me for a few seconds and I make it back to reality like nothing ever happened, sometimes I'm so sleep deprived that I hallucinate and a vision will be induced by fatigue, and sometimes I dream strange dreams..."

"So this last one...it came like a dream?" Train asked.

Sven nodded.

"I had fallen asleep while making the bullets. One minute I'm in the garage, and the next I'm in a dark room with two people in it. Both are silhouettes, and both are women. There was the sound of dripping water...and uneven breathing...as if someone was crying. I look harder, and a light begins to glow in the room. Eve is in a woman's arms—but I can't see the woman's face. Eve looks so weak, but she sees me and smiles. I try to reach her, to save her...but before I can take another step, she collapses. The other woman disappears...and...Eve..."

He looked up, distress written clearly on his face.

"She stopped breathing. She died."

Train grimaced.

"But it was just a dream."

"It was a vision."

"How can you be so sure?" asked Train.

Sven put his hands in his pockets.

"I made a mistake of dismissing a vision as a dream once before, and it cost us Eve."

"You mean...You mean when they kidnapped her?" Train asked in surprise.

Sven nodded once gravely.

"I dreamt that they were going to kidnap her, and the way it happened in my dream was the same way that it happened that day."

"Why didn't you ever tell me?" Train said, flabbergasted.

Sven looked away.

"Because of the guilt...I thought it was just a dream. I didn't want to frighten anyone by saying anything about it, least of all Eve. And look what happened—she's been gone for a year—and it's all my fault."

Train's expression softened.

"Listen, you couldn't have known for sure. I understand why you didn't tell anyone—and honestly, even if you would have, I don't think we would have been able to stop them. They knew too much about us and we knew too little about them. They had every advantage."

Sven shrugged.

"I don't wanna make the same mistake again."

"So you don't wanna doubt your vision? You don't want to believe that Eve is alive?" Train asked softly.

Sven closed his eyes painfully.

"I don't want to believe she's been tortured for a whole year while I've been walking free."

Train looked away.

"I don't either."

"Train, I want her to be alive more than anything," said Sven. "Is that selfish of me?"

Train shrugged.

"I don't know. Love can be a little selfish sometimes. I don't like life without Eve and I'd rather her be alive as well. But I also believe that if she decides to live a life separate from us, she deserves to enjoy the rest of her existence in peace. We'll save her and she'll get through this. She's stronger than anyone I've ever known."

"I miss her..." Sven admitted brokenly.

Train put a hand on his shoulder.

"I do too..."

Sven sighed.

"You have no idea how hard it was for me not to look for Eve. It almost drove me crazy, Train."

"I know, Sven. I know...but we needed you in one place because you were our only real weapon's specialist. Moving around like that, you wouldn't have been able to make anything to help rescue her."

Sven shook his head.

"That didn't make it any easier. You know I'm not the type of guy to stick around and just watch from the sidelines." He exhaled slowly. "It was so hard to concentrate when I didn't know where Eve was...if she was even alive...and there were these long periods where I didn't hear anything..."

"I'm sorry," said Train. "That was my fault. I should have—"

"You were busy watching out for Eve. You did what you could."

Train looked at Sven gratefully.

"We've both had to answer for things in the past, Train," said Sven, "but now we've reached the point where all of that doesn't matter anymore. Eve matters now."

"Eve's always mattered, Sven," Train murmured.

"You're right," he replied. "But now, I realize it more than ever."

Suddenly, both Train and Sven tensed. Train hissed and put his hand on the holster on his hip.

"That training has done both of you quite well. You sensed me quickly and easily."

"Lin," Train breathed.

"Number thirteen," Lin nodded in acknowledgment as he stepped out of the shadows. Anubis followed silently at his heels. "I've come to tell you..." Lin Shaolee faltered. "I don't know how to break the news gently...."

Sven stiffened visibly.

"Then say it the only way you can, but just _say_ it already," Train said.

Lin pursed his lips.

"Chronos leader X is dead."

"What?" Sven said. "How? We've been keeping surveillance. If he had died, we'd of known about it."

Lin shook his head.

"You don't understand. X died twenty-nine _years_ ago."

Sven and Train glanced at each other briefly and looked back at Lin.

"Than who's the guy posing as X? An impostor?" Sven asked.

Lin shrugged.

"It's what I'd assume. All I know is that the real X died almost thirty years ago."

"Damn it, this just keeps getting weirder," Train muttered under his breath.

"I've given Leon a disk that contains that information. The entire camp should know by tomorrow."

Lin turned away.

"I'm only telling you this because I believe it will help you save Eve," he said. "If you cause dissent among your enemies, their force will weaken."

He began to walk away. Anubis moved his mammoth body slowly in the same direction.

"Where are you going?" Sven said.

Lin kept walking.

"I'm going to fight on the other side. A billion is a lot of dollars for a bounty, and I'm not getting paid as an assassin anymore."

Train cocked an eyebrow.

"So that's it? You're leaving for the money?"

Lin stopped, turned around, and smiled.

"Yes."

"Anubis, why are you doing this? You can hunt and feed yourself on your own. I thought you didn't care about money."

The wolf's eyes glowed yellow in the darkness.

"I don't," his voice rumbled. "Material possessions do not concern me any longer." He gave a wolfish grin. "I do it for the hunt."

Train pursed his lips testily.

"Well thanks for the data."

Lins nodded and jumped on Anubis' back.

"You're welcome."

"Chronos Numbers are complicated," Sven said as they padded off into the darkness.

"Tell me about it," Train replied. He lowered his head in thought. "If X is dead, who did I fight against?"

"It's finally morning," Sven said, putting out his cigarette.

Train lifted his eyes and saw the pale dawn break over the horizon.

"I'm almost afraid of what the morning will bring more than the night," Train remarked.

Sven said nothing, but the light of the dawn hit his eyes in a peculiar way, as if a fatal decision had been made inside of him.

* * *

"Let me tell you a story," X whispered into the dead air of night. "It goes like this: There was once a girl who lived with her father in an enchanted palace. She was a very happy girl, and she loved to play hide-and-seek in long corridors made of stone and glass. The man enjoyed to play with his daughter also—you see, he loved her very much.

One day, she was playing in the garden with the soldiers—the innocent little princess enchanted even they, my darling—when an assassin slipped past. He was known for his ruthlessness and his ability to cause bad luck for whoever he crossed paths with—very much like a black cat. He caused an awful ruckus, and led most of the soldiers away, leaving only a few to guard the princess. There was an explosion, and the palace—her home, all she had ever known—was destroyed...along with her father. Yes, darling, her good father had gone insane with the loss of all those things he once loved. He believed his daughter had died, so that when he stumbled out of the palace and finally saw her, he thought it was a mirage. The poor child was too distraught to notice a shadow entering the courtyard with evil intentions. When she had come to realize—it was too late. She looked upon the man who wore an eye patch to cover his missing eye (he was very vain, you see). Her world was shattered, by her kidnapper and the assassin responsible for her father's insanity and ultimate death. They took her prisoner, and the girl remained there until her twentieth year destined to never see the light of day again."

"Never?" said Eve, his only audience.

He smiled. "Well, not until her prince saved her."

Her eyes glowed with delight.

"He took her away from the evil men and took her to his palace, but when she stepped inside, she forgot everything and everyone she had ever loved. And the prince became sad, so sad, that he ordered a great and powerful witch to put the whole world to sleep except for him and his princess, so that she may regain her memory..."

"And did she?"

He shook his head sorrowfully.

"But that's sad," frowned the girl.

"It is," he said. "But it's as true and as real as you or me."

Eve tilted her head in confusion.

"Darling," X whispered. "My darling, the story is _yours_."

**Next Chapter: The gang discusses the repercussions of X's death and his possible impostor before going to battle. The devise a plan, but will it work? And...is X really dead? Will Eve remember her family when she sees them? Find out next time!!**


	11. Sins and Sinners

**Author's Note: **Okay so this was the hardest chapter I've ever had to write for this story. Thing is, I knew this part of the story was gonna be the hardest to write since the very beginning. I'm sorry it's so late. I try to get these out monthly. This one's a little shorter than my previous chapters, but to keep my updates coming sooner, I decided to do that. I'm currently interning at my city's newspaper (call me Lois Lane) and so between articles/events I've been writing this. I've had severe writer's block. Some days, I just sat in front of the screen...for hours...but nothing came out. I was stuck. So in the meantime, I was listening to lots of Coldplay...though too much Coldplay can make you kind of depressed, lol. I got through my writer's block, though. Obviously...because otherwise the chapter wouldn't be here, lol. Some of this chapter was inspired by Ms. Kreatopita's, "25 Ways to Irritate Black Cat Characters."

Let me know if you guys like it, or feel free to ask any questions. Happy early Fourth of July (think of Eve when you look at those fireworks)! Enjoyyy!

* * *

**Sins and Sinners**

_Friend deceives friend,_

_and no one speaks the truth._

_They have taught their tongues to lie;_

_they weary themselves with sinning._

_J__eremiah 9: 5_

* * *

The bright, golden dawn seemed promising enough as it sat on the horizon, but the camp was grim with the weight of the responsibilities towering over them. It was New Year's Eve, and that night, they would all be battling to save Eve.

Sven walked with Train through the tents. They knew the news concerning X being an impostor would reach everyone in due time.

Sven stopped walking just before they reached Tearju's tent.

"I'll meet with you in a little while," he said. "I have to talk to Tearju."

Train cocked his head to the side.

"About X--er--or the guy who's pretending to be X?"

Sven nodded. Train returned the gesture, but his eyes betrayed that he knew something else was wrong.

"Good luck," he said, and walked away.

Sven cleared his throat at the tent's entrance and was greeted with a, "come in."

He entered and spotted Tearju sitting on the edge of her chair, holding her forehead in her left hand.

"Are you alright?" he murmured.

She looked up, startled.

"Oh," she breathed. "I'm fine."

Sven put his hands in his pockets.

"Did you hear the news?"

"Yes," Tearju whispered. "And it only points out how little we truly know about our enemy." She raised her head. Sven could tell she had little sleep the night before. She looked exhausted. "It leaves me wondering. How much would they know about us?"

Sven sighed and looked away.

"We can't let that thought scare us. What's going on now is bigger than us, than just Eve. The whole world's involved now...we have to do what we can."

She nodded, not knowing whether he looked her way or not, and stood.

"I'm sorry."

Tearju stopped, pulled out of her thoughts by those words, and turned to face Sven.

"About last night," he continued. "What I did—" He shut his eyes and shook his head. "It was wrong. I want to apologize but I don't know how I can make up for—"

Sven opened his eyes when he felt a hand touch his shoulder.

"The person you care most about has been missing for a year. I helped create this person as my clone. It was my decision that we should look the same and only your mistake that for a moment, you wanted to forget everything that had happened."

Sven looked at Tearju confusedly.

"What I mean to say," she continued, "is that I understand. And that I forgive you."

Tearju nodded once and Sven took her hand in both of his.

"Thank you," he murmured.

She nodded again, blushing slightly and moved away to check on a screaming tea kettle.

"Would you like some?" she said after pouring the tea into her own cup.

"No, thanks," Sven replied.

"Are you sure?" she said, turning around with cup in hand. "The tea is a special blend of my own. It's designed for clarity of mind and endurance—just the right thing to drink before the battle ahead of us."

Sven smiled kindly.

"Alright. I guess it won't hurt."

She pulled out another cup with her right hand and poured the tea. Picking up the saucer she walked towards Sven.

"Careful," she said. "It's very—"

Tearju didn't finish. She tripped on a root and fell flat on her face. The tea went flying. Sven wailed as he covered his face with his hands.

"HOOOT!!!!"

Outside the tent, the campsite paused at the startling sound of Sven's cry of pain.

Train shook his head.

"Some things never change."

* * *

"All the preparations are in place, brother," said Y, kneeling before X.

"Good. See that our guests get a proper welcoming."

She nodded gravely and exited the small room. X turned.

"Eve," he sang. "Eeve..."

She lifted her head and sat up on his bed.

"Soon. Soon you'll be able to wreak all your revenge. You'll be able to make them suffer, darling."

Eve tilted her head and blinked.

"Yes," she said softly. She closed her eyes and leaned against the wall. "I'll do whatever you ask of me."

* * *

"Did you give Tearju the disk?" asked Train as soon as he met Sven rubbing his sore skin in the middle of camp.

Sven nodded. Fortunately the disk hadn't been ruined when she spilled that hot tea all over him. It had been in his coat pocket and has somehow managed to stay dry.

"Yeah, but she had already seen it. Apparently Leon and River gave it to her," he said. "As soon as she finished getting the information, she told me that she wants to see everyone as soon as possible so that she makes sure we all know." Train and Sven walked together silently until Train stopped suddenly and turned east.

"Someone's coming," Train whispered under his breath.

As if on cue, they heard a motor blast and a rush of people making a commotion on the eastern border of the camp. They ran to the source of the noise, where a group had already gathered.

Train and Sven shouldered their way through the crowd.

"Annette!" Sven cried.

Annette was leaning breathlessly on Woodney's motorcycle.

"Where have you been?" Train asked.

"I was there. I left camp while everyone was asleep," she coughed. The winds picked up and sand whirled violently around the crowd.

"Did you see Eve?" asked Sven.

Annette shook her head.

"There are legions—"

Leon looked quizzically at Jenos and then back at Annette.

"Legions of what?"

"Soldiers," whispered Annette. "There are Nation soldiers everywhere, as far as the eye can see." She looked up. "The entire world is against us."

* * *

In less than ten minutes, everyone was gathered around the center of the camp. Tearju, Jenos, Sven, Annette, and Train stood in the front.

"Recently, investigations were made about the unsolved explosion of a science lab in a remote country west of here about thirty years ago," began Annette, who had already recovered from her harrowing drive back. "They were working for the government, and no one knows how the building caught fire, what experiments were being made, or how there were no survivors—until now."

The camp was dead silent. A pin drop could be heard.

"Lin Shaolee and Anubis assisted me with the investigations. Their connection to the higher ups in the government proved useful, because we found out that these people: X, Y, and Z...they weren't only responsible for the founding of Chronos, but were responsible for this explosion." Annette took a deep breath. "The experiments were first made on animals to perfect methods of breeding children with special powers whose purpose would be to exclusively serve the government. X and Y were test tube babies. Biological twins, in fact. They were put through training to assist the country's army, but their intelligence proved to surpass the scientists who had created them, because they escaped and killed everyone who had lived inside the facility. At the time of the incident, they were ten years old."

"Holyyyy shit," whispered River.

"I say 'they' very carefully. At least the disc—which carries scraps of surviving surveillance footage saved from the fire—shows two young children making the attacks on the scientists. Some of you have already seen these videos." Annette shook her head. "It's not pretty." She sighed. "Thing is, that there is also complied footage of the death of the young boy months before the escape was made. The boy was buried at the side of the complex. His corpse was recovered recently. The remains are confirmed to be his. This gives us reason to believe that the man who claims to be X is not who he says he is. We don't know if experiments were made on other children, but it appears that X and Y were the only ones. Z was an adult prisoner at the time of the explosion, but he escaped and joined X and Y in their later endeavors. Despite the fact that he was older, he was always a subordinate to X and Y. This proved useful when they settled down in cities as they traveled because Z posed as their father in order to raise no suspicion. Z lost his mind when the scientists performed experiments on him—but what made him exceptional were his fighting abilities. He was a loose cannon—which is why X and Y were created—but his skills were first-class. In any case, whoever this man, this X is...he's been lying to his teammates for twenty-nine years."

"What happened after they escaped?" River asked.

Annette turned to face him.

"They left. Disappeared for a while and then came here. They founded Chronos from behind the scenes with no suspicion from any outside party. The elders—the pseudo heads of Chronos—answered only to X, Y, and Z."

Annette's jaw tensed.

"All of you have to know....they've surrounded Eve. When I first saw it, I was in shock. I've never seen anything so well-guarded in all my life. Nation soldiers for miles around are surrounding them. It's going to be a real challenge to infiltrate."

Sven nodded.

"Their numbers aren't something we've completely anticipated," he said, "but our plan can still work despite that. If we scramble their communication in an effective way, they won't be able to take orders and that'll lessen their power dramatically." He clenched his jaw and looked at his friends. "All of you have risked sacrificing your own lives for protecting Eve. I could never be more grateful." They stood silently, but proudly awaiting for him to give them orders. Sven smiled. "Alright, so we know all that we can to help us. Let's split up from here and move out." He looked at Train. "Tearju, Rins, and Train are coming with me."

Jenos nodded in unison.

"Sephie, Belze, River and the rest of you sweepers tag along with me. Leon, there's been a change of plans. You go with Silphy, Woodney and the rest of your gang to back them up."

"What? Why?" he said fretfully. He had wanted to go with the ex numbers to prove himself.

Jenos walked over to Leon, put his hands on Leon's shoulders and spoke quietly so that no one would hear.

"We didn't think the numbers of nation forces would be this high. They're gonna need extra protection. From the heights you can reach, you'll be the best lookout for them. Your job is important. If the army finds Silphy scrambling signals, they'll be in huge trouble. If the nation forces are desperate enough, they might send jets to bomb them overhead, and you're the only one that can stop those jets."

"What about Eve?" Leon asked anxiously. "Won't they try to bomb her, too?"

Jenos gave him a sardonic grin.

"I'm sure X and his team have prepared for that in advance. That ugly mechanical heart will be able to withstand a lot. The old bus won't."

"Right," Leon said, nodding in understanding. "I'll do my best."

Jenos' smile faded as he walked away.

"Good luck, kid."

From there, everyone regrouped and gathered their things to leave. The camp had already been taken down. In under five minutes, everyone was gone.

* * *

Train, Rins, Tearju and Sven all rode in the same jeep. Sven drove quickly through their charted territory. They were to drive twenty miles, park the car, and sneak their way through the last five. They were expecting heavy surveillance on not just X's side, but on those who wanted to destroy everything inside the mechanical heart--including Eve.

Train was bored and showing it.

"Hey remember that time that they gave you the senior citizen discount at the movie theater without even having to ask what age you were?"

"Traain," warned Sven.

"Or how about the time me and Jenos handcuffed you to the booth at that Chinese buffet by our house and made you watch us eat it all and then left you to pay the bill?"

"Traiiin!"

"Or that time that Rinslet got mad at you and burned a few hundred dollar bills in your face just to spite you and then asked you how much you were in debt?"

"Traaaiiiiinnnn!!!!"

"Or how River always asks you to look in the future with your vision eye and tell him what he'll eat for lunch tomorrow or if he'll be rich and famous or if Creed's girl, Echidna, will ever go out with him?"

"Train I'm going to--"

Train smiled.

"Hey, partner, I'm just reminiscing on some of the good times."

"Good times, my ass," Sven muttered.

Rins laughed. "Actually, those were some good times. I remember--"

"Rins, I'm warning you..."

She laughed a second time. "Don't worry, Sven, I'm not going to poke at your old age."

"Fine," he sighed.

She smiled mischievously.

"I was just about to say, I remember when you tried to tell Eve about the birds and the bees, and she ended up lecturing you instead of the other way around."

Sven groaned.

"Haha, yeah, I remember," said Train. "What was that word she used? Uh...what was it..."

"Coitus?" Tearju interjected.

"Yeah!" Train laughed. "And Sven didn't know what it meant, so Eve had to explain it for him."

"Hahaha! You're right. That was priceless. I'll never forget it. She totally made Sven blush." Rins giggled. "Geez, I couldn't forget that day even if I wanted to."

Sven smiled.

"Yeah, me neither."

Their laughter died a little as they remembered the trials of the present, and the ride was silent the rest of the way there.

* * *

Eve stood next to X at the top of their tower. As far as the eye could see, they were surrounded by soldiers, but she was unaffected by their numbers. They were no match for her.

There was some other reason for her to become unsettled. Every passing minute, her heart began to beat faster and faster.

"Something is coming," she whispered darkly.

X turned to look at her.

"Ah, you feel it too?" He looked out again at the soldiers that surrounded them. They hadn't attacked yet. He knew they were waiting for all their troops to arrive to attack at once with full force. "Such fools," he laughed. "The only ones equipped to fight us have not yet arrived."

He smiled, grabbed Eve, and forcefully kissed her. He pulled away from her.

"When this world is destroyed, I will recreate it with you, and we will start a new generation of mankind," he whispered into her ear. "Our children will be all-powerful. They will be kings and queens of the New Earth."

"Yes," she said softly.

"You have to greet our guests properly. It is time to prepare you for the final battle."

Y appeared without command, as if willed there by X's thoughts.

"Take her. Put her in the room and connect her to the heart. She is the force that will power this machine."

Y looked sadly at Eve, who looked back without emotion.

"I will do as you ask, my brother."

X nodded once.

"Good. See that you do."

With that, Y took Eve by the hand and led her to the center of the heart.

* * *

Train, Sven, Rins, and Tearju didn't have to travel far to see the signs of the troops that had passed by. The desert looked trampled on, like the battle had already begun. They soon reached their checkpoint and left the car.

"We go the rest of the way on foot," said Tearju. "If I'm not mistaken, there should be a series of stone tunnels that wind their way under this desert. If we take the right paths, they can lead us right below the heart. We will split up in the tunnels right before we arrive."

"Alright," said Sven. "I'll go first. Train you hold up the rear."

Train nodded and they all followed Sven into the darkness.

* * *

"There has been a disturbance in the frequencies, general."

The old, gray haired man looked up from his station. He had fought many times in his life and this one of many countless battles. Though he always fought with intelligence and tact, he was tired. After all the things he had seen, part of him thought that this might very well be the end of the world.

"Check the lines again and make sure that they're in tact," he said. "We need to keep in communication with the rest of the troops. Find out where this disturbance is coming from and destroy the cause."

His young subordinate nodded once quickly, saluted, and exited the tent.

* * *

"Damn," whispered Silphy as she looked at the screen. They had been testing ways to cut the troops' communication, and in one of their trials, they set off an accidental discharge from their vehicle. They were using Leon's Volkswagen bus as a center for scrambling signals and infiltrating the messages sent in between the forces. She hoped against hope they didn't notice.

"Stupid," said Leon. "Why did you have to spill that coffee on the console while we were working? The signal wouldn't have gone off if you hadn't done that!"

"I didn't get a lot of sleep last night. I needed that coffee," argued Woodney, who looked longingly inside the empty cup.

"Well you--"

"That's enough!" said Silphy. "We've prepared a long time for this day and we're not gonna mess it up by bickering and making another mistake." She looked at Woodney. "It was an accident."

Woodney stared back at her gratefully.

Leon sighed.

"Fine, sorry."

Silphy waived her hand and pointed to the door.

"Go make sure that we don't get found out."

Leon stood up.

"I'm gonna get a bird's eye view. If you hear any disruptions nearby, let me know."

"Sure thing," Silphy replied.

* * *

The trek into the tunnels had been relatively quiet. They did not want to take any chances, and otherwise, they had very little to say.

They saw a break in the tunnels ahead and slowed down.

"This is where we part ways," said Tearju.

Train lifted his right arm to wave it at them, but made a face when nothing happened.

"Uh....guys...."

They all looked over at him.

"What?" Sven asked.

"Shit," Train whispered and pulled at his right arm with his left. Still no response. "I can't move my right arm."

"What??"

"I said I--"

"I know what you said, you idiot," Sven muttered. "What's wrong with it?"

"It's numb. I can't feel it. It won't move."

"Let me see it," said Rins, walking towards him. She touched his arm, raised it, and smacked it against the stone wall of the tunnel.

Train looked a little dazed, but he hadn't made a sound.

"Yeah, it's numb alright."

Train glared at her.

"I hate you."

Rins smiled at him sweetly.

"I think it might be an effect caused by going so near to Eve in her present state," said Tearju. She pushed up her glasses. "I know just what Eve's body is capable of because I helped create it. They've built this large machine in order to amplify her powers many times over. I'm sure that their plan involves using her powers against the entire globe, and for that kind of damage, those powers need to be increased. I'm sure that the changes in her energy have caused a reaction in your body because of the nanomachines Creed infected you with years ago."

"Why hasn't it affected me?" asked Sven. "I feel fine."

She turned to face him.

"Probably because of the shot you were given by Train after that hallucinogenic episode of yours. Train's nanomachines are lying dormant in his body, but yours were paralyzed by the nanomachines in the vaccine I created."

"Peachy," Train muttered. He sighed. "I can use my left hand, but my right is still my shooting hand. I've gone through enough training, though." A smile suddenly lit up his face. "I can still kick his ass with my left hand,"

"That's what I like to hear," Sven said, putting a hand on his partner's shoulder.

"We're going to mess with the controls in their tower and get it to self destruct," said Rins. "Don't forget--once we've sabotaged it, you'll only have a short time to get out."

Train and Sven nodded.

Tearju suddenly turned to Sven. "Remember what I said. You might very well be attempting suicide to enter that room, because there is no way you can fight an Eve armed with that kind of power. Whoever enters is meant to exchange their life in forfeit."

"I don't care what happens to me," Sven said resolutely. "As long as Eve gets out alive...that's all that matters."

Tearju looked at him silently for a moment and nodded.

"Good luck," she said, and turned away, walking toward the left side of the forked tunnel.

Rins hesitated, staring at them both, memorizing their faces in the event that this was the last time she looked at them. She nodded at them quickly and followed Tearju into their side of the tunnel.

* * *

Jenos stood on the summit with Belze, Sephiria, Annette, Kevin McDougall, River and Tomoe. There were mountains on the borders of the desert, and they were waiting on the closest one to Eve. From where they stood, thousands of soldiers could be seen, and at a distance, the large mechanical heart that held Eve inside, marred the desert.

"That's a shitload of nation soldiers," said River, flexing his gloves.

"They're well trained," said Sephiria.

"How do you know?" said Kevin McDougall.

She blinked.

"Because I helped train them."

"Oh super!" River mumbled nervously.

"Don't worry," said Jenos. "They're well trained, but Sven was right when he said they'll lose it if they don't have orders. Their weakness lies in the fact that they can't work independently. Break their communication, and they'll be like ants chaotically running around a destroyed anthill."

Belze furrowed his eyebrows.

"We'll still need to be careful. One ant bite is nothing, but hundreds of ants will do their damage. Don't forget there's strength in numbers."

Kevin and River nodded.

Annette stood back, smoking a cigarette. "There's one thing I don't understand."

They all looked at her.

"I mean, asking this is kind of a waste because there's nothing we can do about it now, but something's been bothering me ever since this morning..." She shrugged and puffed out a stream of smoke. "We knew that there were gonna be troops surveilling this area because a huge mechanical structure popping up like a daisy in the desert is enough to get _any_ country's attention...but these numbers are ridiculous for just surveying something out of the ordinary. We knew what was gonna happen inside that thing because Tearju was smart enough to crack their plan--she's the one who created Eve, after all....but...the nation soldiers...there are so many of them..." Annette grimaced. "How the hell did _they_ find out about this?"

Jenos and the others stared at each other in a short silence. The answer was obvious, but they were all amazed that they hadn't asked the same question of themselves earlier.

"Damn," Jenos cursed and pounded his fist into the rock wall. He furrowed his eyebrows and looked at the sea of troops below them. "Someone in our group leaked information."

* * *

The stuffy air of the tunnels was getting to Train and Sven as the day turned into night. As time progressed, their breathing grew more labored. When Train and Sven had reached the end of their wits, they had finally reached the end of the tunnel.

"Train," Sven said suddenly. He looked gravely at his partner. "Whatever happens in that room, I need you to let me do it alone."

Train remained silent and looked away.

"I'm not going to lose a partner," he replied softly.

Sven gripped his briefcase.

"Please Train...let me do this alone," he whispered. "I'm begging you."

Train looked fiercely at Sven.

"I won't get in your way...if you promise to come back."

Sven grimaced.

"Is that all?"

Train nodded. Sven smiled determinedly.

"It's a deal," Sven said.

They made motions to rise to the upper end of the tunnel, to where they supposed the heart would be, when Train stopped.

"Listen..." Train said, turning on Sven. "I know what Tearju said, but don't go in there thinking that you deserve punishment. If you do, you won't come out alive with Eve. Go in thinking you'll bring her out of this mess. Tonight is going to be the start of a new year...things can be the way they were before."

Sven nodded gravely.

"I will."

Train cocked his gun with his left hand.

"Good. I got your back. Let's go."

They ran up into the dim light. When they reached the surface, they blinked in surprise.

They were surrounded by nation soldiers.

Train chuckled nervously. "Sven, I think we made a wrong turn."

* * *

**Next Chapter: Sven and Train fight the Nation Soldiers only to be captured. How will they get out in time to save Eve? Eve regains her memory for a short while and must make a choice: either save the world, or save herself. **

* * *

**Author's Note: ** Remember, if you guys have any questions, feel free to ask. And just for the heck of it...tell me what you think so far. The review button is...right....there.


	12. Eve's Choice

Yes, I know I'm despicably late for this chapter! I'm sorry that I've sucked at life...I just moved to a different country/city...so it's been a little hectic these past months, but I'm having fun! I'm going to keep the updates coming, so don't worry...they won't be 2059386302 months between each other or anything...hopefully...MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE! Don't forget that this story started on Christmas! :)

* * *

**Eve's Choice**

_...Will they fortify themselves? Will they sacrifice? Will they make an end in a day? Will they revive the stones out of the heaps of the rubbish which are burned?_

_Nehemiah 4:2_

They were surrounded by nation soldiers.

Train chuckled nervously. "Sven, I think we made a wrong turn."

"What the hell are you two doing here?" said one, pulling out his gun. "This is not civilian territory!"

"Train," Sven whispered, fingering the edge of his hat. He held it tight between his forefinger and thumb and started moving forward. "RUN!"

They shouldered their way through the surprised soldiers only a few yards, and began having to fight within twenty yards. Their struggle didn't last long.

Before they knew it, the soldiers had their guns ready and aimed at them. They were all around, some kneeling and others standing with their guns locked and loaded. There was no escape.

"Damn," Sven whispered under his breath.

Train looked warily to each guard, while keeping his hand on Hades.

The tension was beginning to rise between both parties, when the soldiers began to move aside. Someone was coming.

"Lieutenant!" one saluted.

The man stepped into view and looked at the two intruders.

"Lower your arms," he commanded. Sven and Train made no sudden move to obey him. "Lower your arms," he repeated, "or both of you die."

Sven and Train glanced at each other and acquiesced to his request.

"Good. Put your hands where I can see them." The lieutenant smiled as they obeyed.

"Hold on a second, I'm with the IBI. This territory falls under our jurisdiction," said Sven, lowering his hat over his eyes.

"You WERE with the IBI, former agent Sven Vollified," replied the lieutenant. "We both know your license expired years ago." Sven was taken aback by the man's immediate identification of him. There went Plan B.

"Who the hell is this guy?" Train whispered.

"I have no idea," Sven mouthed as he stared at them.

"What? You don't recognize me?" The lieutenant continued with a lazy shrug. "I did my share of work for the IBI back in the day. I also happen to know you're presently working as a sweeper who is somehow connected to the disappearance of the bioweapon—Eve, I believe is what you call her." He grinned at Sven's shocked expression. "Word always gets around when the gossip's juicy."

Sven had recovered from his shock and was glowering at the lieutenant, but the man paid him no mind.

"Separate them and take them into questioning," he commanded his subordinate officer. "We'll get answers; by any means necessary."

* * *

X, Y, and Z stood in the control tower surveilling their enemies.

"When will they arrive?" asked X, running his long fingers through his blond hair.

"They should arrive within the next couple of hours," replied Y. She shifted her attention from her brother to the scene of soldiers below them. "I am certain that by nightfall, they will make their attack."

"Ha!" cried Z. "Finally, something to do. I've been sitting around bored as hell for the past year, but at last, I will get to rid the earth of those pesky nation soldiers!"

"You used to work as a soldier in your former life, didn't you, Z? Before you became our comrade," questioned Y.

Z shrugged offhandedly. "It doesn't matter if I worked for them or not." He threw up his hands in delight. "What matters is how much I hate them!"

X stood and rested a fist on his hip. "Remember, old man, that it is your duty to stay in the control tower until I have given you leave to fight outside. The surveillance of the tower is of great import. Don't let me down, or I'll make you wish you hadn't." X's face darkened menacingly. "Understand?"

Z nodded warily. "I know, I know," he said, trembling, and then turned away quickly to look at the monitors.

As X and Z finished conversing, Y began to walk out of the room. Before she had left them, X addressed her.

"Where are you off to now, sister?" X said with a smile.

She paused, turned to him, and bowed her head. "I would like to examine Eve's adjustment inside the chamber," she said softly.

X regarded her silently. A hint of suspicion lit his eyes, but after a few moments, he nodded. "Very well. Come back as soon as you are finished."

Y meekly lowered her head and strode out the room and down the dark hall that led to Eve's slumbering body.

* * *

Sven and Train were forcefully separated and lost sight of each other between the masses of soldiers that infiltrated the area. They threw Sven into a floor-less tent. Sven grunted as he landed roughly in the white sand. The sun had almost set and it was getting hard to see anything.

The soldiers who led him there stared down at him. "You stay here, and don't even think of escape. It's impossible. We have sentries posted all around you."

They left him, but he knew they would return soon.

Sven pressed on the communicator in his ear. "Blackbird. Come in, Blackbird," he whispered.

After a few moments, he heard a reply from Jenos. "Blackbird here. You already inside? Is it time?"

"We've..." Sven ground his teeth. He hated to say it out-loud. "We've been captured by the nation soldiers."

"You've been WHAT by WHO?"

Sven grimaced as his left ear rang from Jenos' angry yelling. "Tell Rins to wait and tell Silphy that we're gonna need her help," said Sven.

"Wait a minute—how the hell did you let yourself get cap—"

Sven turned off the communicator as soon as he heard footsteps nearing his tent. He rushed to hide his hidden piece and the communicator in the sand as the shadowy figures began to enter the tent. If he kept them on his person, he would be done for when they searched him.

Sven recognized the silhouette of the lieutenant as soon as he saw him. He was tall—incredibly so—with a muscular body, dark brown hair, and gray eyes. A deep scar covered one side of his face and trailed down the curve of his neck. When the man smiled, the scar on his face twisted grotesquely to make one side of his face look as if it was frowning.

"The name's Aaron Steel."

Sven only glared at him.

Steel laughed. "Nice to meet you, too." Steel's voice lowered and grew serious. "Now, I'd like for you to answer a few questions. For your sake, I hope you cooperate."

"Dammit!" Jenos cried as he lost his connection with Sven.

"What is it?" asked Belze.

Jenos scowled and turned away.

"Our plans have been postponed," he said.

"What is the cause for delay?" Sephiria asked, looking from her watch over the troops to him.

Jenos made a face.

"Train and Sven have been caught on their way to that...thing." Jenos threw a hand in the direction of the mechanical structure that loomed in the desert. "Now, we have to figure out a way to bust them out."

"Well, shit. Let's just go down there and kick some ass!" River said, raising a fist.

"Idiot," Annette said. "Look at those numbers. We'll be done for before we reach Sven and Train—and on top of that, we don't even know where they're keeping them."

"I've got a plan," said Kevin McDougall suddenly with a grin. "...Let's just hope it works."

"Who are you working for?"

"The pope."

"Why are you here?"

"Came here to buy a new suit. This one's getting ratty looking."

Each question and answer was followed by the sound of a fist pounding against a body.

Sven coughed violently. His mouth was full of blood and speaking had become more and more difficult. They had searched him, held him fast, and had been beating him for the better part of an hour now. Every time the questions were repeated, he would give out a different answer.

Steel panted as he looked at Sven, whose arms were being held by a soldier on each side. He took a cloth beside him and cleaned his bloody fists. Then, he punched Sven in the stomach.

Sven groaned as he doubled over.

Steel grabbed him viciously by his hair and pulled his head back. He leaned close.

"You're protecting someone, aren't you?"

Sven tensed his jaw.

"Is it the bioweapon?" Steel whispered. He laughed when he felt Sven's body grow rigid beneath his hands.

"Bullseye," he declared. Steel lit a cigarette from a pack that laid on top of Sven's confiscated belongings. "You know," said Steel, exhaling as he leaned back. "I heard through the grapevine that you had teamed up with a number of very strange people...the bioweapon being one of them..." He shrugged indifferently. "But if I were you, I wouldn't worry about that anymore. We're going to bomb the whole thing as soon as the countdown ends in about an hour. It'll be great. The place'll light up like a firework factory." He tilted his head and frowned mockingly. "It's too bad there won't be any survivors inside that heap of metal."

Sven looked up and lunged at Steel with a growl. Surprised, the soldiers who held him nearly lost their grip on him.

"Bastard!" Sven bit out as he was pulled roughly back at the last moment.

"You lost your cool, Vollified," he said amusedly. "You've gone rusty on some of your training."

A hard glint lit in Sven's eyes as he glared at his antagonist. "I could say the same about you," barked Sven. "This isn't how we were trained to question suspects. We aren't confirmed killers or terrorists with hostages-and even they have rights. You're going against protocol, Steel."

Steel sighed and took a long drag of the cigarette in his hand.

"I'm tired of playing by the rules. It simply isn't efficient."

Steel leaned in and pushed the lit end of the cigarette into the side of Sven's neck. Sven shut his eyes tight and swallowed a strangled groan.

"Let's not waste any more time. I have another prisoner to question."

He beat the side of Sven's head with the hard side of his knuckles. Sven crumpled to the ground. Already exhausted and battered from all the other heavy blows, he lay helplessly as they filed out of the tent in silence.

'Eve,' he thought anxiously as slipped out of consciousness. His skin burned with cuts and blood from the corner of his lip dripped down and mingled with the sand. 'I have to save Eve. I have to...save her...'

* * *

"Jenos called," Rins said. She leaned against the wall of the tunnel and rested the back of her head against it. "Sven and Train have been captured and someone amongst us leaked information to the nation forces."

"We'll wait here until Sven and Train escape," Tearju said, sitting down. "We can't destroy the structure if they don't get Eve out first."

"We're just going to wait around?" Rins said. "Is that all we can do?"

"I trust them," Tearju said simply. "Neither are prepared to lose Eve. They'll do whatever possible to escape."

Rins hesitated before replying, thinking about what Tearju said. After a few moments, Rins sighed. "You're right. They'll do whatever it takes."

'The smell...of blood...'

Aroused by the all too familiar sickly sweet metallic scent, Eve stirred in her dreamlike state. Her eyelids fluttered open and her violet irises glittered from under her dark blonde eyelashes. She was being suspended in the air by a number of chord-like tentacles that moved as if they were alive.

Below her, over fifty feet down, she detected a silhouette moving slowly forward.

Eve's felt like her body was sinking in a deep, crushing sea. It felt as if the tentacles were feeding off her body's energy. She lowered her head, beginning to succumb to unconsciousness again.

Y began to glow and rise in the air. Her hair fluttered around her wildly and her bright eyes shined as she looked at Eve.

With some effort, Eve raised her head and looked at Y.

"Eve, my darling," said Y, "you have a choice to make."

"Choice?" Eve asked dazedly. Her eyelids were heavy. She was so tired...

"Yes, a choice."

Y tilted her head and smiled her characteristically morose smile. She glided forward and raised her hand to Eve's forehead.

"I will unlock your memories...I will release you so that you will decide."

Her fingers touched the soft skin on Eve's forehead and began to glow.

Eve's heart accelerated; she threw her head back and gasped in pain as her mind began to open. The memories began to rush in. She could remember...she remembered everything. Her past life. The year she had been locked away. Her kidnapping...

Eve's eyes filled with tears as she recollected all the time she had lost. She clutched her chest as she tried desperately to breathe. Eve wanted to curl up and forget the pain. She wanted to return to Sven and Train. To Rinslet, Annette, Jenos, Leon, and the rest of her friends. 'How could I forget them for such a long time?' she thought to herself, mournful.

"You were able to lose your memory because I locked the real Eve inside your soul." Y said as she read Eve's thoughts. She put her hand over Eve's heart. "In the beginning, my brother tried to make you hate those you loved, but despite that, you were somehow able to unlock the door to your memories in your sleep. You still dreamt of your past life-your lost life." The strands of her hair whirled around her shoulders. "Even in the past two weeks, when I utterly hid your memories from you, you can sense your friends coming because of the close bond you share. There must have been something wonderful about your memories." She smiled. It was a rare smile of wistful happiness. "I want to know what it is."

"You said I had a choice. What is the choice I have to make?" Eve said.

"I will let you choose between destruction and sacrifice."

Eve furrowed her eyebrows.

"I don't understand."

The cadence in Y's voice changed as she spoke solemnly. Her words were soft and musical in nature as they reverberated on the walls of the chamber.

"I will let you choose whether you will return to your friends, or whether you will sacrifice yourself for them."

* * *

Aaron Steel entered the tent where Train was kept followed by four of his subordinate soldiers. Train was sitting in the center, leaning against the steel post that held up the tent. His hands and feet were bound, but his disposition was the same as always.

"You've been busy," Train said as he noticed Steel's red knuckles. He smiled. "I'm guessing my buddy Sven didn't tell you a damn thing, or else you wouldn't be here."

Steel returned Train's smile, walked up slowly to him, and lifted him up against the pole with one arm. Out of experience or intuition, his soldiers were quick to hold Train in place before Steel slugged him roughly him in the gut. Train moaned and hunched over.

"You'll learn that here, you'll speak unless spoken to."

"I've never been very good at following orders," Train coughed out.

Steel struck him a second time, but this time, his fist landed on Train's jaw.

Train grunted and shook his head to clear the stars that suddenly filled his vision.

"Who are you working for?" Steel barked.

"Your mom."

Steel's outraged countenance was enough to make Train grin, but his expression faded when he received a blow to the ribs.

"Why are you here?"

"On my way to the grocery store." Train bit out. He smiled weakly. "I ran out of milk."

Steel gave an exasperated cry and backhanded Train in the face. Before Train could react, Steel slapped the other side of his face. The shock of the consecutive hits made Train lose his balance. The soldiers that held him let go as he fell on his side.

Train's shirt had torn with the rough treatment, and the Roman numerals XIII peeked through on his collarbone.

Steel raised his eyebrows, bent over to grab Train's hair, and pulled his head back to get a better look.

"So you're the black cat who turned out to be an ex-government dog," Steel said with a pleased snarl.

Train glanced down at the tattoo showing on his collar bone and back up at the lieutenant.

"Better to be an ex-government dog than a bitch on a tight leash," Train replied with a smile.

Steel's face hardened as he pulled Train up by the hair and threw a right hook at his face. Train bit back a cry as Steel's fist pounded on the side of his skull. Train fell to his knees.

"This is nothing..." Steel continued as Train struggled to keep his head up. "We have better methods for persuading higher ranks of the government." He leaned in and whispered in his ear. "You have no idea what you're in for, Black Cat."

He turned to the soldiers that held Train in place.

"Tie him up."

With that, he walked out of the tent, leaving Train to wander the land of sleep.

* * *

Anubis growled. His walk slowed to a stop as he lifted his head to catch a scent of the wind.

"I smell blood," he said, a soft rumble reverberating in his chest.

Lin arched an eyebrow.

"Blood? Why, it's too early for bloodshed. The battle hasn't begun."

Anubis' eyes shined bright as he looked at the man beside him.

"I know this scent." Anubis sniffed the air cautiously. "Thirteen...and his partner..."

"Well?" Lin asked with a tilt of his head.

"They are here," Anubis snarled. "They must have been captured by our forces."

Lin chuckled. "Ah! Well, this is an interesting development. I wonder how they let themselves get captured."

Anubis stretched his colossal body by leaning on his front paws. "They were probably seen and overwhelmed by the troops' numbers."

Lin looked at the sky in thought. "Hn, Train...I'm sure he's planning something."

Anubis shook his head. "Train can do nothing now."

Lin furrowed his eyebrows. "What do you mean? He's always got something up his sleeve."

Anubis yawned as he finished stretching. His teeth gleamed despite the low light. "Number ten, even the most seasoned assassin knows when it's best to fight or wait for an opportunity. He must still engage in combat when he reaches X, and if he spends all his energy in his escape now, he won't win against X. He also has to wait for his partner, who undoubtedly is in the same position."

"How perceptive of you, Anubis," Lin murmured.

"I may no longer be a man, but beasts possess senses that humans cannot begin to comprehend." Anubis licked his jowls and glanced at Lin from the corner of his eyes.

"Let's find them, yes?" said the wolf.

"You have me intrigued, Anubis," said Lin with a smile. "Yes, let's find them."

* * *

Silphy listened to the instructions being carried out between the enemy troops on their radio. Because she had been tuned in to their frequency, she had already picked up the word "intruders" and had not been caught off-guard when Jenos called to tell her the news. At least she knew they were still alive...for now. Not long ago, Jenos relayed a plan that Kevin McDougall had schemed up, and she had to admit that while risky, it wasn't a bad plan. She pushed her chair away from the console and stood, facing Leon's group of friends.

"So gang, you ready to finally pitch in?" Silphy said, putting her hands on her hips.

They lined up at quickly at her attention.

"Okay, so we're gonna have you kids looking out from every corner of this van-every window-every crack. On top of what we're here to do, we've got a new mission to save Train and Sven. So, I need more look-outs while I do my job."

Leila pushed up her glasses and saluted. "You're the boss."

Silphy smiled. "Good. Now, Leila, you help me listen in on these troops' orders so we know their attack formation and report it to Jenos ahead of time."

Leila nodded cheerfully and sat at the console and immediately helped her with intercepting the messages being sent from squad to squad.

Silphy turned back around and pursed her lips at Timmy. He had grown quite a bit since the last time she had seen him-the last time they were all saving Eve. His black hair was still wild and his eyes were still brown, guarded, and sweet looking, but his arms were muscular and he towered a over foot above her.

"Timmy, can you handle this?" she asked concernedly.

Timmy grinned and held up his fist. He was wearing a spare soldier's uniform that they had pilfered from one of the tents.

"Please, I've got bigger guns than your boyfriend. Let's do this!"

Silphy half scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Okay, kid."

Timmy groaned. He along with Leon had been hearing that from everyone at the camp since the whole situation started. "I'm not a kid, anymore! I'm Leon's age-twenty-one. Plus, I'm taller than he is. I'm a real man...and I can prove it too."

His brown eyes grew a little mischievous as he finished his declaration.

Silphy giggled. She honestly thought he was a pretty attractive guy, and if she wasn't already in love with River, she wouldn't mind considering... The age difference didn't bother her because she still looked great, but that simply wasn't gonna happen. Thing is, he looked so adorable when he was being teased...she just couldn't resist...

"Please, I'm too much woman for you to handle. You're just a baby."

Timmy sighed helplessly. His deflated shoulders were an obvious display of his hurt pride.

"So I have no chance?"

Silphy smirked and winked at him.

"Maybe in a couple of years...after you've had some practice."

"Practice?" Timmy furrowed his eyebrows confusedly. After a couple of seconds, the realization of what Silphy had meant dawned on him, and he bloomed red. "I-I-I've had practice!" Timmy stuttered.

"More practice," Silphy finally laughed and put her hand on her hips. "Now, go! We're counting on you and we don't have much time."

Timmy gave her a slow smile, nodded, and left.

* * *

Sven drifted in and out of consciousness while inside the pitch black tent.

His eyes turned into slits when he was momentarily blinded by the light as the soldiers entered the tent.

"So, how's sleeping beauty?" Steel smiled.

"Wishing he was still asleep," Sven muttered back.

"Well, we can't have that, now can we? We have far too much to discuss...and you've told us very little."

"I'm not talking."

"Hm. We'll see. Lloyd must have said something about you I could use..."

Sven's lifted his head.

"Oh? Didn't I mention it before?" said Aaron Steel absently. "How odd. Well, Lloyd was my partner."

Sven's carefully controlled face grew into a savage expression.

"Lloyd would never have anyone like you for a partner," Sven bit out.

Steel laughed and waved his hand dismissively.

"Luckily, it didn't last long. It's too bad he was too soft for a man of action, like me. Lloyd was weak. He didn't have the guts to perform his job to the fullest. This is where he lacked...and he paid for it with his life." Steel sneered. "He was so weak, he put himself in jeopardy to save you—and died."

"Lloyd was a better man than you or me," Sven said between clenched teeth.

Steel stepped closely to Sven looking deep into his eyes. "That green eye," he murmured, "it's not yours. Lloyd left you his eye when he knew from the beginning that you wouldn't be able to do your job to protect him as a partner." He opened his eyes wide and laughed. "He probably knew he'd die from the very beginning! Haha! And the way he died...saving you for a stupid thing you did. I would have never put myself in that position. If he was my partner still, he'd be alive today. Really," Steel paused and shook his head. "You're both weak..." He grinned. "And I hate the weak."

Sven managed to stay stone still, but even he could not hide the sadness in his eyes. "You're right," he whispered. "It was my fault Lloyd died...but it's not going to happen again...I'll die before that happens again."

Steel's eyebrows raised in understanding.

"Strike two, then. Your first weakness is the bioweapon...and the second is your dead partner." He smiled and leaned in close. He grabbed a fistfull of Sven's dress shirt. "Hmm...I wonder...it's three strikes and you're out, you know. You're playing a dangerous game."

"Dangerous?" Sven scoffed weakly. "There's nothing you can do about either of them. You can't threaten one...I'll rescue her before any of you dogs will ever get a chance to touch her...and the second..." Sven swallowed. "The second is dead. You're not gonna get far if you want to get information this way. There's nothing you can do about either...I actually prefer being beaten." He grinned. "At least I don't have to hear you mouth off as much."

Steel smiled and threw a hard punch at Sven's already injured face. Sven buckled under the weight of the blow.

"That can be arranged," Steel murmured as he looked down. He raised his fist in the air for a second blow, but paused and lowered his hand when he saw Sven's controlled face.

"Something just occurred to me." Steel shook his head and grinned widely. "Something wonderful." He kneeled beside Sven. "You want me to punish you, don't you?"

Sven didn't look up at Steel. He didn't close his eyes. He lay motionless on the ground and did nothing.

Steel tilted his head to the side.

"I know the perfect punishment for you." Steel pet Sven's hair indulgently. "I can punish you like no one else can. I've found your third strike, your last weakness."

Sven wrenched himself away from Steel's touch.

Steel ignored him and looked up at one of his soldiers.

"Bring Train Heartnet to me. I want him here."

He looked down at Sven once more.

"Since beating you doesn't work, I'll just have to punish you through someone else."

Sven's eyes widened as Steel whispered in his ear.

"I can't wait to hear your partner scream."

"Dammit, Sven," Train said under his breath. "What happened to Lloyd is not going to happen here. Today is not my day to die."

Steel beat Train with the blunt edge of his gun.

"Stop it!" Sven cried. "Stop!"

"Answer my questions!"

"Don't...do it, Sven," Train growled as his eyes blazed into Steel's. "Don't give in."

Steel kicked Train in the gut with his steel plated boot, and Train's eyes snapped shut while he swallowed the cry that was climbing up his throat. Train gripped the sand between his fingers, and received a second and third kick. This time, he could not keep silent, and out came his muffled groan.

Sven could see that the force of the impact had caused Train to bite the inside of his cheek. Some blood escaped his mouth as he coughed air in and out of his partner's lungs as he watched on in helpless horror.

"This is annoying," Steel said, and pulled out his gun. "I guess death threats are more your style."

He raised his gun and shot at Train. It was so sudden that Train narrowly avoided the bullet.

"I thought you'd avoid that," Steel said. "But you won't be able to avoid every single one."

Steel raised his gun to fire another round at Train a second time. There were a few blasts, a blur of tan and blue, and suddenly it was Sven who was on the ground, receiving the bullets for his fallen partner.

"Stop," Sven said in a whispered groan. It hurt him to breathe. "Do whatever you want...with me...just stop this."

Steel smiled sadistically.

"Are you willing to beg me for his life?"

"Sven...don't.." Train whispered.

Sven slowly lifted himself on his hands and knees.

"What do you want me to say?" he whispered brokenly.

"Beg. I want you to beg," Steel laughed.

Sven gritted his teeth in pain. He would rather die than see another one of his partners tortured in front of him a second time. He never wanted to endure that kind of pain again.

"I—" he began in a wavering voice. "I—beg...you..."

Before he could finish his sentence, Sven collapsed at Steel's feet.

"Sven! SVEN!" Train cried, struggling against his bonds. "No!"

Sven laid on the ground with his eyelids half open. He could feel his energy seeping from his body...he felt as if he were floating...but there was so much pain, he only saw red.

Steel lifted Sven's head back by pulling at his hair. His eyes were unfocused and glazed over. Steel glanced up at Train with a wicked smile, but it faltered when he saw Train's face.

Train's eyes were filled with so much rage, that Steel flinched and stepped back.

"You bastard," Train whispered darkly. "If he..." his voice drifted off and continued in a rush. "I'll make your life hell...I'll deliver you to the gates of death, Steel. I promise you."

Steel sneered. "Take him away!" He shouted to his soldiers, and they took Train and dragged him to his tent.

'For their sake, they had better not have hurt him badly,' Train thought as his eyes narrowed. 'The idiots,' he thought with a grin. 'They separated us only to question us in close proximity to each other. Now, I'll be able to find him again.'

The soldiers tied him up and left him alone. After a few moments, Train heard a mumbled exchange; after a few moments, his tent rumbled. The curtains to the entrance shook as if a big wind had blown past, but Train could see a silhouette that he knew very well. A black dog––massive, heavy footed, and with paws as big as Train's chest entered the tent.

"Anubis," Train breathed.

"Well, Thirteen, you have been captured."

"Seems that way," Train muttered sardonically. "What are you doing here?"

Anubis sniffed the air and tilted his massive head. Lin Shaolee appeared from behind him.

"We told you we'd be working on the other side," said Lin. "We were originally working independently, but the nation forces insisted to give us a fleet of troops to 'ensure our success,' as they put it. Honestly, it's more hurt than help."

"I'm sorry for your troubles," Train said in annoyance. He fought the urge to roll his eyes. Here he was, captured while trying to save the Princess as the world was on the verge of an apocalypse and the man is complaining about being in charge of a few soldiers.

"You mustn't be sore at us, Train," said Lin. "We are working to survive. Just as you are."

"I'm helping to save the Princess-it's her survival I'm interested in, not mine," explained Train.

"You need that girl to survive just as I need money to survive. Of course, cash isn't as grand a venture as saving a girl, but you do what you can. Anubis hunts to survive," Lin shrugged. "We all do what we must."

Train cocked an eyebrow. "What a shitty theory."

"Prove me wrong," smiled Lin.

Train scoffed and smiled. "It's always a waste of time to argue with you."

Lin kept his smile in place, but noticed that Train's face had momentarily tightened in pain when he had spoken.

"You don't look well," said Lin.

This time, Train rolled his eyes. "You wouldn't either if you were just used as a punching bag."

Anubis looked him over. "You've been through worse scrapes than this, I'm sure."

A shadow passed over Train's face briefly. "You mean when I escaped Chronos? Or maybe when I fought Creed years ago? Or maybe...my last battle with X?" Train looked down and examined himself. "Yes, these are just cuts and bruises. Superficial wounds." He sighed. "I'll be just fine to fight..." Train smiled suddenly. "By the way, your lieutenant Steel hits like a girl."

Anubis' bright gold eyes darkened to a deep amber.

"Steel did this?" he growled.

Train nodded.

"We've known him to be a loose cannon," said Lin to Anubis. "It shouldn't surprise you."

"No," said Anubis with an angry slash of his tail. The canvas of the tent shook in the wind with force. "But it doesn't help that I already dislike him. He has continually violated regulations." Anubis snapped his teeth. "He must be punished."

"That would cause quite the disturbance," Lins said calmly. Train mused vaguely that despite Lin Shaolee's apparent nonchalant attitude towards most things, he must like tagging with Anubis so much because the wolf knew how to keep things interesting.

"Train," Anubis said suddenly.

Train looked up.

"Disturbance is the key word. I will not be helping you while I teach Steel a lesson," he gave Train a wolfish grin, "but it would be a very good time to escape."

Train raised his eyebrows in surprise and nodded once.

"Goodbye," said Anubis. "Either we die tonight, or we live to see a different future." His golden orichalcum tail swished only inches away from Train's face. Train blinked as it lowered to the cords that held him in place and severed them. Train could have gotten out of them easily enough, but it would have taken time, and time was of the essence. "I trust that you find your way out, Thirteen."

Vaguely Train wondered why a lot of the numbers still called each other by their old assassin names despite the fact that the organization had disintegrated into practically nothing years ago. He supposed that the old phrase was right: old habits do die hard.

"Thanks, Anubis," Train said as he rubbed his sore wrists. "Chew off a piece of his ass in my honor."

The white tattoo above Anubis' left eye raised as he opened his eyes a little wider in amusement.

"Good luck to you, Train," he said. "I hope you make it out alive. Things would be rather...dull...without you."

Train dipped his head gratefully and Anubis turned and left. Lin gave Train a curt nod and followed the large black wolf.

The tent shook as Anubis' rumbling footsteps took him farther away.

Train huffed under his breath as he heard them converse as they exited the tent;

"His scent is everywhere. It will take some time until I find the freshest trail."

"Well, we'll look in all the usual places first, and then we'll try to follow his scent, alright? Besides, you should probably cool off before you see him. You might accidentally kill him."

The wolf snorted.

"I never kill by accident."

* * *

"Sven…" A whisper, almost imperceptible in the darkness.

"Sven…." Again, the same voice rang out, but it was coming closer.

Sven opened his eyes; his body was sore and his head was spinning as he tried to stand.

"Sven."

He was again surprised by the small whisper that echoed through his mind that repeated in tune with his heartbeats. He looked up. It was dark, and a figure in the distance glowed with a soft golden light.

"Who...?"

His heart seized as he recognized the woman who stood looking at him.

"Eve," he whispered.

He limped to her, but his body was tired from the beating he had received, and he stumbled. Sven took another step forward, but he soon realized that he was falling. When he noticed that he hadn't hit the ground, Sven opened his eyes and saw that he was being held.

"Am I dreaming?" he said.

Eve lowered him, laid his head down on her lap, and ran her hand gently through his hair.

"Yes," she said.

Sven smiled more to himself than anyone else. He had finally gone insane. He had been waiting for it to happen, and now that it finally did...he didn't care.

"Then, it's a good dream," he whispered.

She bent over and pressed her forehead against his chest. As she breathed, she could smell the faint scent of his musky cologne, she could smell the metallic rust of the blood from his open wounds, and beneath it all, she smelled him-his unique scent of dark wood and smoke. "I wanted to talk to you one last time," she whispered against his clothes.

"What are you...what are you talking about?" Sven asked in a daze. He rested a hand on her blonde head and almost recoiled in surprise. "Eve," he said suddenly. "You're...you're shaking..."

She pulled away from his touch. She wanted to stay entwined with him more than anything, but she couldn't keep her body from trembling and she didn't want to worry him. The strain that her new powers were putting on her body were tremendous-that, and the fear...she was terrified.

She blinked slowly to forget her heavy thoughts and bent her head to look into his face.

"I have to tell you something before I go."

"Go?" Sven said feverishly. He was dizzy and had lost a lot of blood. "Where are you going?"

Eve furrowed her eyebrows as she traced his bruises lightly with her fingers.

"You're in pain." Tears began to form in Eve's eyes. "Who did this? Did all this happen because of me?"

Sven shook his head to clear it a little. "No...It's not your fault." He raised his hand to graze against her cheek.

Eve smiled sadly at him. "You never let me take the blame...even when it was my fault..."

She laughed but to Sven, it sounded like a lament.

"You're so set in your ways...so stubborn...I've always been innocent in your eyes," Eve whispered. A few tears fell down her cheeks as she looked down on him with her violet eyes.

"Eve..." he whispered, and reached up to wipe away her tears with his thumb.

"I've killed people. My soul has so many sins to bear and my hands are covered with blood." She reached down to touch his hand. "Your blood, too," she finished softly.

"Eve, you had nothing to do with that. You were under someone else's control. The real Eve wouldn't hurt anyone...it's just not in you," Sven retorted frustratedly.

"But it is in me, Sven. It's as much a part of me as the peaceful Eve is...that's why...I...that's why I..." she couldn't get out the words she wanted out. "I wanted to tell you goodbye. I wanted to see you one last time."

"Eve, you're being silly. You're not going anywhere." Sven smiled. "Not after I finally found you. You're coming home with me and Train."

Eve returned his smile, but her's was a sort of crooked attempt. It looked so comical on her face, considering the position they were in...he was beaten and wounded, and she was a figment of his imagination. Sven had finally lost it.

Sven laughed, but his heart was so heavy...he felt like this meeting had a tone of finality. It was as if this was the last chapter of their time together, and that it would end this way-with him failing her-with them broken...he was so afraid, he had to fight the urge to break down. He wasn't the kind of man to give into tears, but part of him wanted to weep for both of them.

"Your watch," she whispered suddenly. "It's broken."

Sven glanced at his watch and immediately wished she hadn't noticed. He couldn't tell her that he had broken it during the year she was gone by the result of his own idiocy––and after emptying a bottle of whiskey. He had also bloodied his own wrist as he leveled some empty bottles that were in the path of his drunken rage...his hand had just healed up when Train came to him a few days before.

He looked away. "It was nothing..."

Eve tilted her head in confusion. "What do you mean...you didn't like it?"

Sven's head shot up. "No! It's not that I didn't like it...it just...broke...on accident. I'm sorry. I should have taken better care of it."

Eve smiled faintly and held her hand over the watch. Sven watched in amazement as her fingers thinned and grew in length. Deftly, they took the machinery of the watch apart and separated the clockwork. As quickly as she began, she had finished. All that was missing was the clockface. She picked up sand that had collected in Sven's hat, put it in her hand, and glass formed. She fitted it inside the watch.

"How?" Sven wondered out loud.

Eve smiled. "I've been gone in a long time...I've learned how to do things...I've gotten new powers, Sven. I'm so much stronger now."

"Stronger..." Sven echoed. He couldn't imagine what they had done to her to make her stronger...what torture or isolation she could have been put through...he felt sick just trying to imagine it.

Sven looked up at her tear filled eyes as she bent over him. His hand fell to run through the long blonde strands that fell like a curtain around both their faces.

Sven frowned. "Eve, tell me what to do...just tell me...I hate seeing you so upset. I'll do anything to make you happy."

Eve opened her eyes wide.

"I-"

She looked away. He sat up with some difficulty and put a hand on her cheek.

"Eve," Sven said gently. He smiled at her, and looked at her indulgently as he tried to coax her to speak.

Her heart skipped beats whenever she heard Sven calling her name. He meant more to her than a father...he was so much more than that. He was the person that saved her...the first person that believed in her. He had shown her what it was to live...how could she not give herself to him? She would fall to his feet if he just asked...but she loved him enough to think of him before herself.

"I want you to forget about me-forget that I ever existed," said Eve.

He recoiled in surprise, his face frozen in horror. Sven shook his head as if to clear his thoughts and raised a hand to touch her arm, but she shrunk back in resistance. He swallowed hard and desperately, he wrapped his arms around her despite her opposition.

"How could you say that?" he murmured into her hair, almost trembling-though if it was in fear or anger, she could not tell. "I––it hurts just to think about it...why? Why would you say something like that? How could you want me to forget you?"

Eve's resistance softened against his strong arms.

"I want you to be happy," she said simply. "I've stayed with all of you despite hurting you. People keep getting hurt because of me. I'm not going to be selfish anymore."

Sven clenched his jaw and laughed hollowly.

"You're so dense. Can't you see that I don't care? I want you to live."

Eve knew that Sven cared for her as he would a daughter. He looked after her wellbeing, but he couldn't love her the same way she loved him...and she couldn't imagine herself without him...she'd cause him so much pain if she stayed. The best thing for both of them would be to separate...even if he didn't return her feelings, she'd be happy to be by his side, but she loved him too much to hurt him anymore...this was for the best. It had to be...she just couldn't understand why she hadn't been born normal. If she had, then she would be able to live by his side, love him, and be with her family in peace...

"Sven," she whispered brokenly against his shirt. "Sven...Sven..."

He shut his eyes and just felt her body against his: warm, soft, feminine. His arms wrapped more tightly around her.

She moved, and suddenly, he was on his back and she was above him. Her front molded itself against his chest, her arms on either side of his head, her legs tangled with his. As he looked into her violet irises, he realized how much he missed her...the way she would look at him calmly from across a room, or the way she could express herself without having to say a word...just through her eyes. Sven remembered with a surge of guilt his momentary kiss with Tearju. As soon as he had felt Tearju's lips against his, he knew it was wrong. Eve may have been born a clone, but she was uniquely herself...no copy of anyone else...she was all the choices he had made in the past, all the things her experiences made her.

Eve's face was closer to his now, and he could barely breathe. Her face was serene, still as stone, but her eyes were filled with grief. He would do anything to erase her pain. Sven raised a trembling hand to her face, but he could do nothing else. He felt dirty...he was almost twenty years her senior! He felt as if he'd take away her innocence..do something irrevocably wrong..and then lose her forever. He wouldn't do that to her.

He didn't have to.

In an instant, her lips were on his, and his entire body lit up. He realized this kiss was different from the first one they shared. This was Eve...all of her was in this kiss...this wasn't seduction, this was full of tenderness...he could taste her fear in the tentative way she would touch her lips to his. It was as if all his sins were washed away in her kisses. He felt as if her innocence and purity and all the tragedy that seemed to follow her surge through him like balm over his wounds as he lived them with her. He felt as if he completely understood what it was like to be set on fire, turn to ash, and be reborn.

Eve knew that her first kiss was stolen from her because she was being controlled by X, but she would take her kiss back. She would save Sven, and he would forget about her, but she could not die without kissing him one last time.

"Eve..." Sven murmured against her lips. She breathed into him and kissed him with more force and desperation. Sven shuddered as Eve lifted herself over him and cradled the back of his head in her slender hands.

Eve's body shifted above him and his thoughts were lost as he suppressed a groan. It was a pleasurable sort of pain. His bruises hurt to the touch, but the excitement of having her in his arms again affected him so badly, that anything she did to him felt wonderful. She pressed her face into his neck and lay there, still, just listening to him breathe. Sven sighed at her touch, but flinched when the action caused her lips to accidentally brush his neck. It burned him; it ignited a fire inside of him. He tried to ignore it as he held her lovingly and tried to reason with her.

"Eve, stop this-I know you can stop this. I believe in you. I know I've said it before, but I mean it...I was such an idiot for letting all of this happen to you...but I know...I know you can do this."

Eve nodded her head.

"I will stop this, I promise you," she said. "I'm tired of being used as a weapon. I'm tired of being used against the people I love. I'm tired of hurting Train...of hurting you, Sven. I won't be a burden to either of you any longer."

She looked up and began to shift away from him.

"No! I don't want you to go...don't you understand?" He sat up with difficulty and put his hands on her shoulders. "I've looked for you for so long...I don't want to lose you..." Sven's voice fell into a whisper. "Not again."

Eve smiled.

"I'll die happy knowing that you cared about me, Sven. It's enough for me."

Sven's chest turned to lead. How could Eve say all these things? He couldn't stand to hear her.

"Die? Eve, what are you talking about? You're coming home."

Eve shook her head.

"I'm going to start a new world where you don't have to worry anymore. You won't be in pain...you won't be sad. I'm doing this because I don't want you to suffer because of me anymore."

She began to dematerialize.

"Eve!" Sven cried, trying fruitlessly to hold her; to keep her from disappearing. "Eve! Don't leave me!"

He heard a few soft gasps-as if she were crying-but he couldn't see her anymore-he couldn't be sure.

"Goodbye, Sven."

"EVE!"

Sven woke up with a start. His breathing was coming out in labored pants and he was terrified as he looked around the tent. He sat up with some difficulty and realized that his cheeks were wet. He raised his hand to his cheeks and was surprised to discover that they were tears.

"Sven."

Still in the world of half dreams, half reality, Sven hoped that Eve was calling him. He rubbed the moisture away from his face. When he heard his name for a second time, however, he realized the voice belonged to Train.

"Train," he croaked. He heard a few quick footsteps coming closer.

"Sven?"

"Here. I'm right here."

Train lifted the edge of the tent tarp and looked at Sven. He opened his golden eyes wide.

"You've bled like crazy."

After a few minutes, Train had dressed Sven's gunshot wound with a piece of fabric torn from his shirt, and helped him stand.

"Come on, buddy," Train said as he shouldered Sven to his side. "We're getting out of here."

* * *

Timmy tried not to fidget in his itchy soldiers' coat as he walked up the tents. Before they had left, Sven had given them a copy of the underground map of tunnels they would be taking to reach Eve. If he memorized the map correctly, he was around the area they should be in.

That's when he spotted it.

A tent just like all the others-expect that it was being guarded by soldiers on every side. Timmy counted five on his side, so he guessed there must be another five or six on the other side. Ten in all.

He walked nonchalantly over to the soldier at the entrance, who's head was dropping in his fatigue.

"Man, you look tired," Timmy said as he put a hand on the man's shoulder. "It's a good thing, too," he smiled, "because I'm here to relieve you."

"Lieutenant's orders?" the man said hopefully.

"Lieutenant's orders," Timmy echoed.

"You sound too happy to be taking your turn for night watch," said the soldier.

"That's because I'm not going to be taking your turn," Timmy said with a widening grin. "I'm here to take the prisoner."

The soldier's eyes widened.

"What? Why?"

Timmy shrugged.

"I don't know. I'm just following orders. Do you ask why when they tell you to do something?"

The man grimaced. It was true. They were taught not to ask questions.

"Where are you taking him? You gotta at least know that."

Timmy smiled again.

"To General Yoma, of course."

Sven shook his head dazedly. "What time is it?"

Train pursed his lips.

"It's about a quarter after ten. I heard some guards talking. We don't have much time before they start bombing the place."

He risked another glance at Sven. Train wasn't in great shape himself, but they had beaten Sven savagely-until he was black and blue. One side of his face was covered in blood, and his suit bloomed red where the bullet pierced his arm. It was a good thing he was wearing long sleeves, because he didn't want to see what he knew was there; his skin was bruised and battered under all those clothes.

"You idiot," Train muttered as helped Sven stand up.

"Sorry about this," Sven said with an embarrassed tilt of his head. "Just gimme a couple of minutes, and I'll be able to walk by myself."

Train scoffed at him. "I called you an idiot because you made me worry. I don't know what the hell you did to piss them off, but whatever it was, it worked."

"Me?" Sven coughed out a laugh. "You're the one with the big mouth. I wonder how you got off without a worse beating than mine." He grinned despite himself. "You still look like hell, though."

Train grinned. "You haven't looked in a mirror, old man."

Sven sighed. If he had the energy, he would have yelled at Train.

They heard voices and a rustling of the opening tent. Train froze, poised and ready to quickly silence whoever came into the tent. He saw a soldier's uniform and then he recognized the face.

"Timmy?" Train whispered. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Sven dazedly looked up.

Timmy rolled his eyes and walked up to them. "I'm here to save your captured asses," he whispered back. "You should be happy to see me. Though, you're not supposed to be in this tent, Train. I was on my way to pick you up after! I'm supposed to be taking both of you to the general of the army, but if all goes as planned, I can get you back to where Eve is being held. You'll have to find your way into that ugly metal thing, though."

Train grinned. "That's fine. I'll make myself scarce. You help Sven walk, and I'll meet you outside. If we both act like your prisoners, we might be able to get the hell out of here without being detected. That, and Sven can't move like he normally can right now, so your help is appreciated."

Timmy nodded. "Deal." He traded places with Train and supported Sven. When he turned around, Train was gone.

Timmy gently, but firmly tied rope around Sven's hands and in a theatrical voice, Timmy went on. "Alright, Sven Vollfied, I'm taking you to the general for questioning. On your feet!"

He left the tent unquestioned and realized that the tents were quiet. Everyone seemed to be gathering at center of camp. After a few meters of quiet walking, Train appeared.

"Glad you're back, now tie some of this rope around your hands and get behind me," whispered Timmy.

"Who's idea was this?" Train asked.

"Jenos probably," Sven said. "I had alerted him about our capture and turned off my communicator before he yelled my ear off––wait. Shit, my communicator! I left it at the tent. Dammit!"

You mean, this one?" Train pulled something out of his pocket, and sure enough it was Sven's communicator. "I found it in the sand when I was helping you up."

"Train, you are mostly a pain in my ass, but I would be lying to myself if I didn't admit that you're useful sometimes," Sven said. He took the communicator and put it in his ear, shaking his long hair so that it was hidden again. After a few moments, he had successfully alerted Jenos that they were picked up by Timmy and making their way towards the tower again. Rins and Tearju were being alerted underground and were waiting for them to continue their plan.

"That was the second time," Train said after a while.

"What?" Sven answered confusedly.

"Sven, that was the second time you've taken a bullet for me...and I swear if it happens again, I'll bring you back from the afterlife just to kill you myself for being such a dumbass."

"You're welcome," Sven muttered.

"I mean it! I don't want you risking your life for me. I-" Train hesitated, but went on. "I don't want you to die because I did something stupid, Sven."

"You would've done the same for me, Train."

Train pursed his lips and looked away. "Whatever."

Sven glared at Train. "You would've done the same for me, right, Train?"

"Maybe."

"Maybe? I risk my hide twice and all you can say is MAYBE?" Sven raged.

Train grinned toothily at the fuming Sven. "Yes."

Sven's eyes opened wide. "This is the thanks I get...ugh...and to think I pay all your food bills. What a joke."

"Will both of you put a lid on it?" Timmy groaned. "If we get caught because you two are arguing about stupid shit, we won't have an easy way out."

Train chuckled and looked straight ahead. "I was answering your first question...Yes, I'd do the same."

Sven started a little in shock, and glanced at Train. He turned his head away from his friend and scowled good-naturedly. "Idiot."

"Heh heh," Train snickered. "I'll make it up to you. No eating at restaurants for a whole week."

"A week? Really? Is that all my injuries are worth to you?" Sven complained.

"Hey, hey, a week is a long time," Train said. "Just think of all the money you'll save!"

"Yeah, whatever."

Timmy, Sven, and Train paused and looked up, marveling at the height of the dark structure as they neared it.

"Well, on to the enchanted tower..." Train's expression tightened.

"Enchanted tower?" Sven said with a quirk of his eyebrow.

"Uh, duh." Train scoffed. "All that time reading the Princess fairy tales, and you never caught on?"

Sven shot his partner an annoyed look. "Stop speaking in riddles, Train. Caught on to what?"

Train sighed. "Man, you really are oblivious."

There was a disturbance in the distance. Gunshots and soldiers yelling could be heard and Train knew that Anubis had found Steel and was teaching him a lesson. They walked a little more quickly, they were almost to the tower.

"So why the hell were you talking about fairy tales?" said Sven. "I know Eve loved them, but I don't see your point."

"What do you expect, Sven?" Train said as he walked with Sven. "You saved her from Torneo's hell. You're the prince charming to her fairytale."

Sven opened his eyes wide in surprise–not really sure of what to say.

"Man, what an eyesore," Timmy grimaced.

"Only one way to get rid of it," Sven replied.

Train grinned.

"I'm with you. Let's go save the princess."

* * *

"Lock them."

"What, darling?"

"The memories. Lock them away where I can never see them again." Tears streamed from Eve's eyes. "I can't stand to see them anymore. It's too painful."

Y nodded slowly.

"As you wish."

After a few moments, Eve could feel it. The power. Her power. It was like this place had been created for her. The entire structure was like an extension of her body.

The structure rumbled as the troops outside began their assault.

Eve opened her eyes. They were no longer violet. Now, they were black.

"It begins," she whispered.

* * *

Next Chapter: The final struggle between X and his minions, Train, Sven, and everyone else! Will Eve get out alive? Will they live happily ever after? Stay tuned for the next AND FINAL chapter!


	13. This Side of Paradise

**Well, on this very rainy, beautiful night, I present to you the final chapter of this story. ****I would never leave you hanging without an ending. :) **Thank you so much for sticking with me through this years-long, exasperating, exciting, wonderful journey. Finishing a story is a little bittersweet, but it's an amazing feeling. I hope you enjoy this last chapter of To Find Eden. The song featured towards the end is called "He Needs Me." It's performed by Nina Simone and it's beautiful. Give it a little run on YouTube if you have the time. :) Goodnight, and see you around.

* * *

**This Side of Paradise**

_And I know such a man...he was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter._

_2 Corinthians 12: 3-4_

Sven and Train were in the tunnels again. And they remained there: cautious and alert. Thanks to Anubis' distraction and Timmy's help, they made it safely through the labyrinthine soldier camps. Down below, Jenos, Rins, and Tearju were waiting; Rins wrung her hands together in nervous anticipation and Jenos was pacing, fists stuffed in his pockets. Only Tearju remained calm.

When he saw them approaching, three figures clouded in darkness, Jenos froze. His face turned gray when he recognized them. "Damn it, Sven. You look like all hell," Jenos whispered.

"I know. I was an idiot, I'm sorry." Sven replied, still using Timmy for support. "Wait a minute, Jenos," Sven grimaced. "I thought you were up in the cliffs with Sephiria and the others?"

Jenos shrugged. "After you guys disappeared, I thought it was a little too dangerous down here to leave Tearju and Rins alone. Plus, Tearju needed supplies."

Jenos pointed to the silver case Tearju held in her hand.

"Sit Sven down there." Tearju motioned to Timmy, who obeyed. "I was hoping not to use these on anyone, but I had Jenos bring them just in case," she said, showing Sven a small silver suitcase. "There are nanomachines in these shots. Like Eve's vaccinations, they will help you, but they only dull the pain. You'll be able to walk by yourself, and you won't feel any pain. The only danger is that you won't know when your body is telling you to stop." She paused and looked Sven straight in the eye. "Pain exists so that the body knows that it needs time to heal and recover. Without pain, your body can't gauge this very well. If I give you these, and you're not careful, you'll die."

Rins pursed her lips in disapproval. "Sounds like a really _safe_ idea."

"Give them to me," said Sven. "I won't be anyone's burden. And we have to get Eve out of there before things get worse."

Tearju nodded and knelt down to prepare him. After a few moments Sven could feel the pain ebbing away. He still felt a little weak, but he didn't need help walking anymore.

Standing, he grabbed his suitcase gun Timmy smuggled down for him when he was captured.

"I'm ready."

Timmy nodded. "Good. I'm going back up in case they go looking for me. Plus I'll have to check on how Silphy is doing with scrambling signals. I'll see you guys soon and good luck."

"Thanks," Train said. "Be careful."

With a short nod, Timmy ran up the tunnel and was soon out of sight.

* * *

As they traveled, the tunnels became less earthy and more organic. It was like they were walking into the artery of a human heart. When they reached the center, Tearju stopped.

Pointing straight ahead, she said, "Eve is there. You'll pass through a larger network of veins, but just keep going straight. She's at the center. All of these tunnels lead to the same place. Rins, Jenos and I will take the vein at the right. We'll meet you there. It's best that we travel in two groups so we have more chances at succeeding."

Train nodded. "Fine. See you there."

They split up. Train and Sven sprinted towards the center.

"How don't they know we're here already?" Sven wondered.

"They probably already know. We'll just run like hell and hope that we can get inside."

"Great plan, Train!" Sven said.

"Shut up and run!"

Sven and Train raced towards the winding entrance but after a few minutes, stopped. In front of them, blocking their way, were two great steel doors. Slowly, the doors started opening.

X and Y were standing in the entrance.

"Welcome," he said.

"See? I told you," Train said, pointing at the door as they began moving again. "Open invitation."

Sven resisted the urge to roll his eyes, held on to his hat, and began to run faster.

"You're a lucky bastard, you know that?!"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I do!" Train replied sassily.

They started to open fire, but X stopped their bullets like before, in midair.

The ground started moving.

"What's going on?" Sven cried.

"Look!" Train pointed toward Y, who had her arms outstretched to them. She was using her powers to transport them inside.

"I'd love to ask why you didn't start shooting at us, because I don't think you invited us over for dinner and a movie," Train said when the door was closed behind them.

"Oh I don't know about dinner. But I could arrange a movie," said X.

He raised his hand and pointed to the wall. There were enormous monitors everywhere, surveilling the structure's exterior and several interior rooms, but the center screen was the largest, and it held a familiar face.

"Eve," they both whispered.

She was held up by tentacles that whipped in agitation––like earthworms on hot cement. They twisted back and forth but held her in place. She didn't look like she was in pain; her eyes were half open and she looked intensely focused.

"Let her go," Sven growled.

"I can't do that. If you want her, you'll have to go get her yourself––not that you'll be able to." He smiled menacingly and began to glow. "But I'd love to see you try."

Sven used his Glaspar eye to get close to X without being detected. It worked, and he fired a shot in his abdomen. But it went right through him; as if he wasn't there.

"Shit." Sven cursed. "What the hell?"

Sven was rendered powerless when he was suddenly lifted up into the air, and thrown against the wall of the room. Groaning, he stood shakily.

A figure could be seen beyond the smoke. X stood there, smiling.

"You are inadequate," he hissed. "I've seen her memories...her thoughts. All she needed was your trust—and you couldn't even give that to her."

He pointed his finger towards Sven's heart.

"You don't deserve her."

Sven stared at him—anger and sadness fighting within him.

"Oh, and you do?" he replied bitterly. "You held her against her will...you tortured and brainwashed her. You turned her into something she's not." Sven bowed his head. "I know I don't deserve her," he whispered. "I couldn't even protect her from you. I couldn't even trust her with her own destiny..." He tightened his hold on his briefcase. "But I'm going to save her. I'm going to bring her back—to freedom."

X lifted the cragged boulders that littered the room and aimed them towards Sven. There was no way, not even with his Glaspar eye, that Sven could avoid them. There were too many, and there was nowhere to run.

A shot rang out.

Train was standing at the doors end to the left of him. He shot at Y, who was temporarily distracted by the shot fired at her hand. X disappeared and the enormous rocks plunged to the ground. "What are you doing Sven?! Go find her!" Train exclaimed while firing more shots.

X appeared then, laughing.

"Yes Sven, what a wonderful idea. Go. Find her. See what she's become...see who she belongs to now."

Sven flinched. He didn't want to think about the suffering Eve had endured during her capture.

"When she sees you," said X, "she'll only remember the pain you've caused. She won't remember anything else."

"I'll make her remember," Sven whispered.

X shook his head.

"Only fools take no head to warnings."

Train must have sensed Sven's dread. He fired a final shot in the air.

"Don't listen to him! Bring Eve back to us!"

Sven looked at Train gratefully and ran to find Eve.

* * *

"How much farther?" asked Jenos quietly.

"We're almost there. Nearly at the center now," came Tearju's soft reply.

"You've arrived. What a _pretty_ party." A voice rang out, but its owner couldn't be seen.

"Fuck," Jenos flexed his hand, feeling the oricalcum wires attached to his Excelion glove ready to spring. He was careful to keep an eye on Rins. He swore to himself that there was no way he'd let that deranged maniac of a killer get to her again. He'd destroy him first.

"And her, you've brought her back. Her blood was so nice. Seeing her face is refreshing. I thought she died."

Rins swallowed hard. It was Z and he recognized her. Rins' skin started to go cold and clammy. She felt something touching her, and with a start, she realized it was Jenos, pushing his back against her protectively.

"Get behind me," he whispered. "_Both_ of you."

Rins and Tearju obeyed. A giant explosion hit the ground just a few feet from in front.

"What will we do with you now?" Z asked, finally showing himself with a maniacal turn of his head.

* * *

Train fired several shots in Y's direction. She avoided them all quickly enough, but he noticed she seemed distracted. Like she wanted to get away. He tried to keep an eye on X but he seemed to have disappeared for the moment.

He wondered if she knew she was working for an impostor. So he tried to test her loyalty.

"I know about your brother." he said.

"You know _nothing_," she replied calmly.

"I know that you two were a test tube experiment and that you were abused by the scientists who raised you."

"Minor details. It doesn't change our mission and what we are going to do today."

"I also know that your brother died over twenty years ago," Train stopped fighting and stood with his hands by his side. "So who is the man you call X?"

* * *

"I can see you!"

Jenos was panting. This Chronos Z character was a lot faster than he thought he'd be. He knew that Z was genetically enhanced, but this was ridiculous. He had tried to break through the tunnel and create a cover for the girls, but the dust that the rubble raised made it harder to breathe.

Jenos spied a movement to his left, and struck at the figure, satisfied when he heard a blood-curdling scream.

"You bastard! BASTARD! I'LL HAVE YOUR HEAD FOR THIS!"

Z clutched at his side. Jenos saw that his arm had been cut clean off; he raised his hand for a final blow, when Z jumped into the shadows, his twisted laughter following him.

"Wanna play a game?"

Jenos' heart stopped when he saw Z emerge with Rinslet trapped in his good arm.

"Let's play: how many times can we make this pretty girl scream?"

Jenos growled. "You fucking try it and I'll make you wish for death a thousand times over."

Z laughed. "What are you gonna do? Wanna risk it? Put your weapon down or I'll kill her in front of your very eyes."

"Jenos, it's okay," murmured Rins shakily.

"Rins," Jenos whispered. "No."

"Don't get yourself killed," she said.

"No, I can't."

"I love you, Jenos."

Then there was the gunshot. The smoke. And the blood.

"RINSLET!"

* * *

Y whipped her hands from her side in defiance. "X is my brother. My everything. He is the savior of the new world order."

"They found his body."

"NO!" In a flash of light, Y destroyed everything within a hundred foot radius and disappeared.

"Shit," muttered Train. Then his eyes opened wide. "This was just a distraction. Eve!"

And he ran toward her prison––where he knew they'd all be.

* * *

The room was red. Blood red. It was bathed in a velvety light that spilled from a high opening in the wall across from her. What seemed like a thick membrane covered that very opening; it was the only light source in the room. Everything was alive: tentacles, the walls, the very floor pulsing with each of Eve's heartbeats. Her bondages were thick veins that seemed to have a mind of their own. Her arms and legs were stretched out away from her, suspending her into the air.

"Eve!" Sven shouted. "I'm here! Come home to us, Eve! I'm here to take you home!"

Hearing Sven's voice, as if woken from a dream, Eve opened her eyes wide, and the pupils focused, trying to recognize his once familiar figure.

"Home." She said it like a foreign word, alien and cold. "Who...are you?"

Sven was overwhelmed by the dark, pulsating room. They were inside of a living, mechanical organ, and it was unnatural to be within something so alive and parasitical. Eve remained in suspension even as she regained consciousness; the thick veins now became her bearers. She took a step and they carried her; she moved her arm, and they shot ahead of her––anticipating her every move.

"Eve," Sven shouted, "don't tell me you've given up?!"

Her hand shot forward and the tentacles reached out to trap Sven.

"It's amazing. With this power, I can read your thoughts, your dreams, your past." Eve smiled. "How couldn't I have known that I've always had this power?"

The veins encircled his body and hers, closing the distance between them. "I will also take your power." Her voice was soft, self assured–but had a mechanical quality to it–it echoed and lasted longer than it should have.

_I didn't realize how much you became a part of my life. But then you grew up...and left me alone...and I realized..._

She rested a hand on his chest, and slowly fisted his dark shirt. The veins followed suit, wrapping themselves under his shirt, around his torso and his wrists until he was even more fixed to the spot than before.

He winced at the heated, throbbing feeling of the tentacles against his bare skin–but also at the frigid wake it left inside him. They were sucking out his memories, his thoughts, his soul.

She was close enough now to feel his warm breath on her cheek, her half-lidded eyes inspected him ruthlessly. The tentacles gripped him tighter, some pointed ends pierced just into his skin in pinpoint locations. Sven groaned and shuddered. As he willed the pain away, he realized that Tearju's numbing shot had already lost its effect.

* * *

"General Yamato, we have a soldier here from the third division who has a message for you."

The general looked up from his papers. He had been overlooking new attack and defense strategies for their battle.

"Send him in," he commanded.

The soldier was sent in and the General regarded him silently for a moment. Dark hair, dark eyes, very tall, strong, confident. All the signs of a good soldier...but something didn't fit. He didn't seem at all like someone who'd follow orders willingly. He looked...too free spirited.

"What is your message, soldier?"

Timmy stood to attention, looking the General directly in the eye.

'Odd' thought the General.

"The third division has noticed that there have been problems with the signals in the camp. It appears that someone is scrambling them."

The General's eyes opened wide.

"Do you know who's responsible for this...?"

"Yes," said Timmy with a grave nod of his head. "There is a group of civilians who are responsible for the signal jam."

General Yamato shook his head in disbelief.

"Impossible," he muttered. "Do you know where they are located?"

"Yes."

The general lifted his hand as if to dismiss an idea. "Hmm. Take me to them. I will bring a contingent of soldiers."

"Sir?" Timmy questioned. "Your orders?"

The general bowed his head in thought.

"We must stop them by any means necessary."

* * *

The smoke cleared and Jenos leapt to the spot where they had been standing. Rins stood shakily with blood on her arms and back.

"Rins," cried Jenos, pulling her into his arms.

"I'm okay," she whispered, turning to look at Z's crippled body. He gave a few spasmed gasps. "You never had a chance against us," she said cocking her gun. "When someone owes me, I always get payback."

"You'll never win! Never win! Never!" Rins fired her last shot, silencing him, and his final laugh ended in a bloody gurgle.

Tearju moved from behind the rubble and stood to join them.

Jenos grabbed Rins and did a final once over.

"Come on," he said, relief visible in the small smile forming on his face. "We still have more to do, and Eve to save."

"Right!" Rins nodded, returning his smile.

They ran together, looking for the one person that united them all.

* * *

"Listen...Eve.." Sven began.

"I know what you're thinking..." she sung mockingly into the shell of his ear. She drew him into a cold embrace and pressed herself harder on his body. The veined tentacles followed suit, inflicting more damage, and searching deeply in his thoughts. Sven cried out, the sound echoed in the thick air of the mechanical heart. His heavy head fell on her shoulder, cheek to cheek, they were melded into one another. Sven half opened his eyes–a faint light reflected on his mismatching irises and revealed his sadness.

_It's come to this...I can't even save her. What am I supposed to do now?_

He could do no more than rest his body against her as the tentacles probed his memories and gripped on his body–it was practically all his strength would allow. The fight he underwent to even reach her had weakened him substantially.

He let out a wavering breath as his eyelids lowered.

Come back. Come back to me, Eve.

"Can't you feel it? She's gone of her own free will, Sven Vollified," X whispered, appearing suddenly, awe written on his face as she looked up at Eve. "She will never return to you again."

Sven grimaced in pain, awaken from his stupor. "Where's Train?"

Eve tilted her head at the name. "Train," she repeated.

"He's lost in the caverns somewhere. My sister took good care of him. Ah, here she comes now."

Y knelt before her brother.

"We must start the weapon now, before it is too late," she said.

"Wait a moment, my sister. I still have a fight to finish. Don't worry, they are no match for Eve."

As if on cue, a succession of blasts shook the room, and there, standing in the newly made opening of the wall, appeared a familiar figure.

"Train!" Sven called weakly.

Wildly, Train shot at Y, who moved quickly out of the way. X disappeared and reappeared in front of Train, throwing him off balance by projecting debris in his way.

"So who are you really, X? We know the person you're impersonating died a long time ago!"

"I am the beginning and the end!" laughed X. "I will make a new world!"

More shots were fired, and the two soon realized that Train was not alone. Rins, Jenos, and Tearju followed close behind, protecting him from any stray wreckage.

"Tell her the truth, Sven!" Train said as he leapt from corner to corner, avoiding missiles. It was all he could do until he found the best way to counter-attack. "Only she can save herself. We can't do the saving for her this time. Eve just needs the truth to realize what it is she wants, and she can only hear it from you!"

_The truth?_

Eve's eyes opened wide suddenly, as if she found something in her search.

"Eve..." Sven whispered helplessly against her. Her body shifted slightly at the sound of her name and the intimate placement of his lips near brushing her cheek.

"What's this? I thought you said..."

_A vision of memories...he could feel her in his mind...picking up the pieces–now all fragments of shattered glass. He could see her hold up the memories to the light–each was a different color–every single one had a hard, sharp edge. Each left a little cut in her, but she soundlessly continued, hypnotized in a field of color. She saw their first Christmas; the time he showed her how to tie her shoes; meeting Train, Annette, Rins, Jenos._

_But then she picked up one of the black memories––when she impaled Sven on her handmade sword at Torneo's mansion. The day she realized Torneo had implanted a device that had switched her into Berserk Mode and she had lost control––or had it allowed her to become her true self? She dropped the mirror containing the memory, and it shattered into an explosion of obsidian shards._

"You felt nothing for me," she intoned, her words cold and uncaring.

Sven smiled weakly. Somehow, somewhere he found the strength to speak. "Ever since that day I saw you in the park...you looked so lost standing there in front of those pigeons. And your eyes had this sort of fascinated look to them, like you wanted to join them. They weren't exactly the most intelligent life forms around, but they were free..." He allowed himself a couple of shallow breaths. "Because, really, you thought you were a monster, didn't you Eve? Better to be a peace-loving animal than a blood thirsty monster, right?"

"I'm a monster now–and I always have been." she said with a cold smile.

Sven furrowed his eyebrows. He couldn't lose consciousness! Not now.

"You didn't let me finish..." he struggled. "You're not a monster...You never wanted to be. They just tried to turn you into one...and that was their worst sin," he said gently.

Eve let her head rest in the crook of his neck. Her lips let out warms breaths on his slowing pulse.

"You know, I think I loved you once. When I believed I was human," she whispered into his skin.

He let out a shivering breath, now unsure if it was the pain or her close proximity to his body.

She continued. "But now its too late. I will start a new paradise–a place of nothing. No pain, no wounds to heal, no joy, no life."

Sven could feel his heartbeat becoming more erratic. The tentacles relentlessly had stolen his energy from the moment they touched him. He was surprised he was still conscious and willed himself to stay a little longer, until he said what he needed to say. The whole world was depending on him, their friends, their family, even the troops outside trying to fight them––but strangely, for a moment he forgot all that and just felt Eve. He felt her breathing against him–-she was still alive within a shell of herself. And he realized that was what _he_ had been when she had disappeared: a shell.

* * *

"The soldiers are on the move," said Belze.

"Yes, it looks like they've gotten into some kind of order," said Sephiria.

"Isn't Silphy supposed to be down there scrambling signals?" said River worriedly.

An explosion drew them all back. Annette shaded her eyes from the desert sun, and as the smoke cleared, she drew in a sharp breath.

"The van!" cried River.

"They found it," said Annette, gripping her gun. "They found Silphy."

* * *

Another barrage of bullets kept the group under Sven and Eve busy. They were doing all they could to defend them––to give them time. Rins, Jenos, and Train were each doing the fighting, Train getting closest to X and Y, while the other two looked for weaknesses in the enemy.

As Tearju watched the battle, she gasped. "A projection! Of course. Why didn't it occur to me before?"

"Huh? What are you talking about?" asked Rins, firing another round.

"Y is projecting the image of her brother, Chronos letter X. He's already dead."

"You mean she imagined him?!" cried Jenos.

Tearju blinked.

"Sort of."

"How could she imagine that a six year old kid would want to destroy the world and press the restart button to try and fix it!" Jenos yelled in hysterics.

Tearju shrugged.

"Perhaps her subconscious is working with what little she has left. Y has lived an unhappy existence. She was held under strict rules, she was tortured, she felt obligated to kill her brother probably to save him from more suffering. There is a whole list of reasons why she would think that the world we live in should be destroyed. Perhaps she is projecting her anger on the world in the form of her brother––as it seems it was in his nature to be more open. Because she has a more suppressed personality, her brother is her only emotional outlet. He was in essence, her downfall and her salvation. If she hadn't killed him, she wouldn't be trying to destroy the world. Then again, if she hadn't used him as a projection of her feelings, she would have gone completely insane."

"Tearju, she is singlehandedly causing an apocalypse. How is that not insane?" Jenos interjected.

Tearju shook her head.

"I think she is more mislead than she is insane. She doesn't believe that this world is right. She founded Chronos, increased her power and used it for this one, ultimate goal."

"But I thought she could only read minds and use concentrated blasts to shoot at things. How can she move solid objects? You said telekinesis was his power," mentioned Rins.

"My only explanation is that Y absorbed X's powers when she killed him."

Train, out of earshot, was still fighting with both X and Y.

"Train," cried Rins, remembering him, "watch out! Tearju says that Y's the one who's controlling X. X isn't real––he's just a projection!" cried Rins.

Train stopped and turned his head towards them all.

"A WHAT?!"

When the ground opened up underneath, he shouted in alarm and narrowly avoided being swallowed. "Jesus! Is there anything this Y lady can't do?!" He muttered breathlessly.

She kept such a calm facade. He wondered how he'd break through it. He wondered what would happen if he could.

_What can I say to make her realize what she's doing?_

"Your brother is dead," Train declared finally. "You have to face it. Your brother is dead and there's nothing you can do to bring him back."

Train could see that Y's body began to shake and glow pink. The image of X flickered on and off next to her, then next to Train, then beside her again, almost as if shielding her.

"He died years ago. You can't bring him back by destroying the entire planet. You'd only be doing to innocent people what those scientist made you do to him."

"NO!" Y screamed, her voice a strange mix between hers and X's, her anger finally shining through her eyes––the first emotion she showed in years.

"My brother is not dead! I'm not dead! He's not––"

Train fired. Right on target.

Y arched her back in pain, and X disappeared.

"Princess, we want you to come back," said Train, panting for breath while gazing up at Eve. "We didn't know how bad we had it without you because we didn't know what it was like to have someone like you with us in the first place. You can't miss something you never had."

"I was just one of the group except for when you needed a violent job done; and an invisible girl when you had no other use for me," replied Eve.

"No! You were more than that!" Train cocked his gun and continued to shoot at the tentacles suddenly aimed for him. "We are fighting the entire world just to keep you by our side! We don't want to live in a world without you! Don't you wanna be a sweeper and beat me in a fight one day? Don't you wanna stay with us anymore? Didn't we mean anything to you?"

He kept shooting as the tentacles were about to engulf him for all his efforts.

She turned indecisively, backing away a few inches and saw Sven struggling to fight against his restraints once more.

"You were never my child, or partner, or some distant responsibility. You were none of these things," said Sven.

If Sven didn't know any better, Eve's body gave the smallest inclination of a start, but she continued to look at him passively. Sven continued. "You were just––a part of me. I couldn't think of myself without adding you to the equation. We need you, Eve, but most of all––"

A jolt of pain distracted him.

He was dying.

Sven closed his eyes. His eyelids fluttered, and he felt the inside of his chest twist painfully. It became harder to breathe. Yet somehow his voice came to him––it was strong, unwavering, and yet gentle and intimate in the enclosed space.

He grinned, and paused his struggling for a moment, heavily fatigued after all his efforts. The living tentacles that surrounded him took the opportunity to renew their attacks. He gasped in pain as they bombarded his torso and extremities.

"_I_ need you," he whispered. "I can't stand the thought of life without you. I love you, Eve."

Her eyes shot open.

He felt his breath slow, his heart beat erratically; he almost jerked with the surprise of each heartbeat.

She pushed herself away from him in horror...

His head dropped; his eyelids felt heavy and tired.

The tentacles followed reluctantly, unraveling from his form in slow motion...

His heart pulsed once, then twice...then stopped.

The last of the living tentacles released him, and it seemed he stayed suspended. For a moment he was breathtaking, hanging in the dim light of the cavern, a symbol of all that was imperfect––the paragon of weakness and mortality.

Then his form fell from the great height, crashing into the blood coursed veins below.

Eve's body shook uncontrollably as the memories flooded her and were hers again. She was herself again.

"SVVVEEEENN!" she screamed, plummeting down to meet him.

She immediately harnessed the massive power that had previously controlled her. Eve reached Sven and lifted his body up with the great, armlike tentacles that had stolen his energy only minutes before. Eve embraced him and set herself on the ground, arms still circling Sven's body. On the ground, she took off his eye patch and his hat. She held his face in her hands and placed her lips on his tenderly. A bright white light emitted from her body, and she levitated while the humming reverberated around the room. Her friends watched her, stricken by the immensity of her power, but she saw no one but Sven. The light glowed for a few moments more, until it was gray, then disappeared. Eve had returned to Sven all the energy she had taken from him.

"Im glad." she whispered, smiling faintly. "Im glad you're alive."

Then, without another sound, she crumpled to the ground beside him.

* * *

River, Sephiria, Belze, and Annette raced down the cliffside to where they saw the blasts. Silphy, Leon, and the others were in danger and if they didn't get there fast, they'd be all done-for.

A rock outcropping was the only thing blocking their view from the van, and they approached it cautiously, moving like shadows.

River moved in first. There was a fog hugging the ground, and he couldn't see until he had walked into it. The van was in front of him, and it was black, charred, and smoldering.

Speechless, his shaking hand touched the blackened metal. He was too numb to feel the heat against his skin.

"My God," said Annette covering her mouth.

Sephiria drew her sword and grimaced. "Someone's here."

River snarled and punched the side of the van; it turned over like a tin can. Hiding under it, was Timmy, with his hands up in surrender.

"Guys, relax for a minute!"

"THE FUCK I'M GONNA RELAX! WHERE ARE SILPHY AND THE OTHERS?!" River was beyond fury and held Timmy by the collar; Timmy's feet were hanging twelve inches off the ground.

"They're FINE. Jesus! They're waiting on the other side of the mountain!" he said placatingly.

"What?" River said softly, suddenly frozen.

"Silphy and I made a change of plans because things were getting tense at the camp after Anubis made a fuss over some lieutenant breaking rules. They started getting suspicious of me, and of the bad signals all around camp, so we planned for me to rat them out."

"Put the boy down, River," commanded Belze. "You're hurting him."

River reluctantly set Timmy on his feet.

"Take us to her."

Timmy nodded. "Everyone's fine. They managed to remove the mechanism that scrambles signals from the van. Now they're doing the same job and are trying to send the forces away."

Sephiria, Belze, Annette, and River followed Timmy in silence and moved stealthily past the ranks of soldiers who were just a few hundred yards from the van's metal carcass.

* * *

They stood immobile at the scene that had unfolded before them. A hushed silence fell over the group. Rins' tears flowed down her cheeks silently as she watched, as they all did, how Sven sacrificed himself for Eve, and how she had given her life for him in return. "It takes more energy to restore life than to take one," Tearju whispered, breaking the silence as she looked on at Eve's fallen body.

Train, eyes gleaming with rage, paced to Y's immobile form and cocked his gun.

"I'm not in the mood. I'm not in the mood to hear the reasons for all the ridiculous bullshit you've done." He motioned to Sven and Eve on the ground, and then to Jenos, Tearju, and Rins standing behind him. "Look at all people you've torn apart."

She opened her eyes wearily. "I thought you killed me." She lifted her hand out in front of her and looked surprised that it was still attached. "I'm alive."

"I hit you with a rubber bullet," Train muttered. "And I'll be damned if I'm not tempted to actually go through with killing you right now."

Her golden eyes glowed and her black hair fanned out under her.

"The only person I've ever loved was my brother. And I killed him. Who are you to deserve a better life? A happier life?" She swallowed, and her raspy voice left her throat. "I can't live in a world where he doesn't exist. I have lived every step of the way honoring his memory, living my life so that he would exist, while he doesn't. So that he could speak, although he no longer has a voice."

Train slitted his eyes. "You call that honoring his memory? If you never founded Chronos and the Chronos numbers, my family would be alive, I wouldn't have become a killer. Saya wouldn't have ever––" He gripped his gun. "You've been murdering him over and over again. You killed him every time someone else had to pay for your sins."

Y's hand shot out and wrapped itself around the barrel of Train's gun. "Train Heartnet, assassin number 13, I ask you. Who are _you_ to deserve a better life? A life with less tragedy than mine?"

* * *

Sven's eyelids fluttered open. Above him was a high, red ceiling; the ground was hot; he could smell blood and smoke; voices blurred together.

Eve.

Groaning, he slowly sat up. He felt weak, and after a moment realized that a hand was draped across his forearm. Sven turned his head and there she was: blond hair, porcelain skin, her throat exposed as her body was cradled by the tentacles that surrounded them.

Sven dragged himself closer and put his arm around her shoulders, lifting her up to meet him. He buried his face in the crook of her neck. "Eve," he whispered. Tears pricked in his eyes when he saw a thin trickle of blood trailing from her mouth. He couldn't feel her breath or her heartbeat.

"Don't leave me. Not after all this," he murmured brokenly. Sven took one shuddering breath and kissed her.

* * *

"I haven't done anything to deserve happiness," Train said as Y held the end of his gun. "I've lost family and people that I love. They're irreplaceable. But I don't think that the world should suffer for my pain." He looked away and sighed. "At least not anymore."

Y blinked and lifted herself up in an instant. She grabbed Train's gun with a force that astonished him and pointed it at her chest.

"Kill me," she said, her voice strong in the cavern. "This will not stop unless you kill me."

Train furrowed his eyebrows and his arm twitched, as if trying to restrain itself from an old habit.

"I can't do that," he said finally. "I took an oath to stop killing after a loved one was taken from me. I haven't killed since." He smiled roguishly. "Though you've almost made me break that oath a couple of times."

"Please," Y begged, fumbling with the trigger. "Please."

Train pried her loose from his gun. Another voice came from behind him.

"_I'm_ not Train. I'm not as forgiving with my enemies as he is. I'm also not tied down to any promises."

Everyone turned to see Sven standing before them, holding his weapon-loaded suitcase. Sven clutched the handle tightly and positioned it towards Y; his hand was shaking from the force with which he held it. "I'm going to kill you for what you've done."

"Sven–" Train started. He was silenced by the look in his friend's eyes. He recognized it, and knew better than to talk sense into him.

"Move," said Sven, but Train remained motionless. He pointed his gun towards his friend. "Sven, don't make me use this."

"Train, don't make me use _this_," Sven spat out, shaking his case for emphasis. "These are _real_. They aren't toys like yours."

Train was unmoved.

"I'll give you to the count of three," warned Sven.

The sudden, stricken, wide-eyed expression in Train's face did nothing to change Sven's resolve.

"No."

Sven looked down and gasped when he saw Eve hanging on his arm. "Please Sven," she whispered. "Don't…" she lowered her head. "Don't."

He gazed down at Eve as her eyes pleaded with him, frozen in shock. "I thought…I thought you had…" he whispered, unable to finish his sentence.

Then, finally, after interminable seconds, Sven shuddered and loosened his hold on the weapon in his hand. He fell to his knees with Eve in his arms.

"Fine," he murmured to Y, sure she could hear him. "...you're lucky she doesn't want me to."

Y, in desperation, used the moment as a distraction and pulled Rins' gun from her slack grip, aimed it at her head, and pulled the trigger.

"NO!" cried Train.

But the bullet stopped. It remained fixed an inch away from Y's forehead. The bullet glowed blue and spun around on its axis. And next to her, stood X, in the form of a child. The bullet fell with a soft clink on the ground.

X, now a small boy, moved close to Y and hugged her. "Don't ever do that again. I don't want you to die."

"I'm sorry, brother..." she whispered, leaning into him, her tired eyes closing. "I'm sorry that I've bound you to me."

She held her hands together is if in prayer. She began to glow pink.

"I've always loved you. Ever since that day you told me your name," she murmured, tears falling from her closed eyes.

He shook her a little as he embraced her.

"No. Sister, no!"

She breathed a sigh and fell into his arms. He looked up at the three witnesses before him to reveal tears rolling down his cheeks, his face twisted in sorrow as he held her. He disappeared.

"I was wrong," said Tearju, tears forming in her eyes.

"About what?" asked Rins softly.

"Y never suffered from a split personality. She's been living and sharing her body with the spirit of her brother since the day she killed him. A child who didn't know how to become an adult, and who was adulterated by the killing she had committed. Who was really, by nature, peaceful and loving."

"She just wanted to be forgiven..." whispered Eve into Sven. "Even in her last moments...she wanted him to hold her."

The silence was deafening in that chamber, even after they left it––and it followed them until they reached the light outside.

* * *

_He needs me. He doesn't know it, but he needs me._

Eve woke up to a soft, sweet song that carried her to the shores of the waking. Her eyelids fluttered open and she turned her head to the left. The little stereo by her bed was on. She recognized the woman singing. Nina Simone. Sven knew it was one of her favorite CDs.

_And so no matter where he goes, though he doesn't care...he knows that I'm there._

Eve pulled the blanket off the bed, wrapped it around herself, and stood up shakily. Dim light shined through her window. She walked to the wide-paned glass with wobbly first steps and pulled aside one of the lace curtains. It was dusk and the neighborhood was quiet. Outside, next to Jenos' car stood Train, Rins, Jenos, and Sven. Eve's eyes fell on Sven.

_I know that I ain't very bright just to tag along, oh, but right or wrong...I'm his. And I'm here, and I'm going to be his friend or his lover._

Eve pressed her fingertips to the windowpane. Her eyes followed his outline as he stood next to Train. They were both speaking to Jenos, Rins, and Tearju.

_'Cause my one ambition is to wake him and make him discover...that he needs me._

She leaned against the glass, content to simply watch Sven as he spoke with them. He looked like he had a rough year. He lost weight, his suit was a little worn in places, and his look was slightly disheveled. It was odd for her to see him that way. She had never known him to take poor care of himself. There was a slight pause in the conversation outside, which Train took to his advantage to tease Rins. They all laughed as she reached out, choking him by pulling at his collar, and threatened him with her small handgun.

_I've got to follow where he leads me...or else he'll never know that I...need him...just as he...needs...me._

"Sven," she whispered longingly.

As if by command, his eyes rose up to her window. For a few moments, Eve's world slowed agonizingly, and it was like she was seeing him for the first time. Her heart stopped beating as his eyes met hers. A smile was still on his face from Rins' antics, but it faded as he saw her leaning against the windowpane with her hand on the glass. Eve saw Sven mouth her name and run inside, leaving their three friends to look at each other confusedly for a few moments. Train was the first among them to look up at the window.

"Princess!" Train cried happily, and Rins and Jenos glanced up with alarm. They smiled at each other and all followed Sven's lead.

"Eve!"

Eve turned slowly to see a breathless Sven at her doorway.

Her lips parted as if to say something, but she couldn't bring herself to say a word. Tears began to form and spill from her eyes.

He ran to her and picked up her blanket clad form in his arms.

"Eve," he murmured into her hair. "Eve, I'm so glad you're alright. I'm so glad..."

* * *

In the living room, Eve sat with Sven and Train at her side. Rins was opposite her, next to Jenos on a small love seat.

"How long have I been asleep?"

"Five days," said Rins.

"A very very long five days," added Train. "Sven hasn't stopped pacing every corner of the house."

Sven rolled his eyes.

"Did everyone get out okay? I mean, did anyone––"

"No, Eve. Don't worry," said Sven. "None of our friends were hurt. Silphy and the others managed to scramble signals and get the armies away from the structure where they held you. I suspect a lot of them are going to be stopping by to visit you in the next few weeks." Sven smiled and shrugged. "By the time the armed forces realized what was going on, we were long gone, and they had nothing to shoot at."

Jenos nodded. "And I don't think they'll bother us anymore. Tearju contacted the governments of the nations involved and showed them proof that Eve is no longer a threat to herself or anyone else. As a part of the trade for information, she agreed to help them understand what Chronos was and the details of the experiments with X and Y in exchange for Eve's peaceful life and for the lives of all those involved."

"And if they do decide to interfere one day, we'll show them," Train said, grinning and patting the gun on his hip.

"What's more important now," said Rins, "is how you're feeling, Eve. You having any nightmares? Anything?"

Eve smiled and shook her head. "I'm surprisingly okay. I don't feel anything and I'm not hurt."

"Being imprisoned for that whole year against your will must've been incredibly scary," said Rins with a shudder.

Eve sat silently for a few moments.

"It was like being in a dream," she said finally. "Like Sleeping Beauty. You know? She fell asleep for a hundred years...and woke up like as if she had simply fallen asleep. I guess that's the way it was with me."

"Well now that that's over, let's leave it behind us and think about more important things. Like what we're going to eat for dinner!" Train patted his belly, which grumbled in complaint.

Eve stared at him stonily for a moment, and suddenly burst out laughing, as did the others. They laughed and made dinner together in the quiet and simple warmth of their home.

* * *

After their friends left, Train retired to his room for a "cat nap." He knew that Eve and Sven needed a moment alone after so much time apart. Eve sat on a kitchen chair as she watched Sven wash dishes. He refused to let her do anything to help him. They shared a comfortable silence until he finally finished.

"I think I'll go to bed, Eve. I'm pretty beat," Sven said. "Do you need me to make you anything before you go to sleep?"

Eve only stared at him mutely.

"Are you okay?" he said.

"Are things going to go back to the way they were before, Sven?" she whispered.

"Do you want them to?"

Eve shook her head.

Sven walked next to the counter, and his eyes began to blaze in the wan light of the kitchen. He took a deep breath, and she felt the trails of fire ignite inside her body as he scrutinized her. Sven was across the room in a flash, his arms holding Eve, picking her up into his strong arms. His lips were on hers, and they kissed, devoured each other, nipped and tasted each other until they didn't know where they began and where they ended. "I've wanted to do this all night," he said, trembling against her lips.

"I've wanted you to do that to me since before I can remember," she whispered.

Sven said nothing, but carried her small form into his room and closed the door behind him. Eve led him next to the bed, and touched the top of his shirt button, fingering it until it loosened. His arms twitched, and his hands rose quickly to cover hers. She looked at him questioningly, hesitantly.

He removed her hands from his shirt, and unfastened the buttons himself. He didn't blink as the shirt fell with a quiet rustle at his feet.

She placed her hands on his lean chest, and kissed the skin over his heart. He groaned softly in approval. She could feel its wild beat under her sensitive lips. Eve gazed at the scars on his torso. He had been in so many fights, so many battles.

"I caused some of these, Sven," she whispered while tracing the marks on his skin.

His eyelids fluttered at her light touch. He grabbed her hand. Surprised, she gasped and looked into his eyes.

"The scars mean nothing," murmured Sven. "You've never done anything to really hurt me." He put a hand on her cheek. "Eve, you mean the world to me."

As she gazed at him, his eyes changed emotions, and tumbled over one another until she could not distinguish one feeling from the next.

She pulled away from him.

"Eve," he whispered pleadingly.

Eve laid herself on the bed, staring at him. Slowly she peeled off her shirt. Sven watched her breathlessly.

She offered her hand up to him, smiling.

He took her hand. She was offering him the door to paradise. How else could he respond?

* * *

_Fin._


End file.
